Semblance of Dignity
by Sparkling-Iris
Summary: AU & canon. Link believes he's a student at Skyloft High, but that changes when Ghirahim arrives, luring him into an alternate world where he is a hero. With the fate of 2 worlds on his shoulders, will Link lose control of his emotions, falling into the hands of his enemy...or will his enemy fall for him? Lots of violence & sexual content. Ghirahim/Link SLASH. Plot!Fic. Link's POV.
1. Changes

**A/N: Hey there! Thank you so much for clicking on my story! :)**

**So, just some information to get this started: This starts as a modern high school AU, but becomes canon as well, dealing with two different universes. It's also Ghirahim x Link yaoi and is also very angsty, as well as sort of plot oriented. ****Um, so also, there is M Rated violence & sexual content in later chapters.**

**Since the M rated stuff comes later, please enjoy the plot stuff in the meantime. :D ****This is pretty much T Rated for the first little bit and I apologize for the kinda dull start.**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ. **

**Enjoy! I'd really love it if you reviewed! ^.^**

**_/_**

_Beep! Beep! Beep!  
_

I groaned as my alarm clock went off. It was 6:30aas _not _in a good mood. Early mornings have never sat well with me and today was no exception. Muttering darkly to myself, face stuffed in the pillow, I reached over and fumbled with the clock until it turned off. _Thank goddesses.  
_

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes, wincing terribly at the sunlight streaming through my window.

"Ugh...stupid sun." I muttered. Just why exactly did school have to begin so early? I mean, people needed their sleep!

I sighed angrily and flipped the blankets off of me before reluctantly abandoning the bed. I stood up and swayed on the spot slightly, still wanting to sleep. But that wasn't an option, unless I wanted to be absent, or late. I hated being late because then everyone would look at you as you entered the class, undoubtedly in the middle of a lesson, and then your friends would interrogate you on the reason of your absence...nah. I'll pass.

I trudged to the bathroom and had a quick shower before wrapping a towel around my waist. Tresses of my hair dripped water down my back and shoulders making me shiver. I had neglected getting another towel for my hair, as it could just air dry.

Wanting to dress quickly, I dropped the towel and slipped on a green hoodie over a white collared shirt. The collar poked out through the neck of the hoodie, but I didn't mind. Then I quickly put on a pair of underwear, some jeans and some socks before slipping on a pair of ordinary sneakers. My hair wasn't really an issue, so I just shook my head a bit and combed through the damp locks. I put in my earrings.

I glanced at the time; 7:15am. I had to leave in a half hour since school started at 8:00am, but in the meantime, I went to get myself a bowl of cereal and I sat at the table, almost falling asleep over my food. I really had to stop that. I mean, I didn't really feel like getting cereal stuck in my hair. Or in my face for that matter.

When I finished, I dumped the bowl in the sink and brushed my teeth quickly before grabbing my bag. I could hear footsteps behind me and I turned to see Zelda, my sister with her bag. I never saw her in the morning until it was time to leave because we had a system to make sure that we didn't get in each others way. It was kind of weird, but it worked for me. I was never really in a good mood in the mornings generally.

So, Zelda was a grade below me. Her bright blonde hair was almost blinding in the sun, and her blue eyes were almost the same shade as mine, albeit more violet.

She was wearing a pink dress with leggings and some flats. I honestly couldn't get how girls wore dresses. I'm perfectly fine in a shirt and pants.

Zelda used to live with Gaepora, her father, but he traveled a lot and was a very busy man, so he decided that we could live together separately. I had been living with my grandma (on _my_ dad's side), but she passed away last year. We're both living at a house by ourselves, but Gaepora owns the house. Pipit's mom Mallara keeps an eye on Zelda and I, Pipit's, my best friend, lives on the same street as me and Zelda.

It's just really complicated.

All I know for sure is that Zelda and I basically have a house to ourselves, not that Zelda's ever at home anyways. She's always hanging out with friends.

"Hey Link!" She said cheerfully. She was always in a good mood.

"Hi Zel."

We started to head outside. The sun was bright and it hurt my eyes. But that wasn't any surprise. It was always sunny in Skyloft. The weather was almost always nice. I always drove the two of us in to school, since Zelda hadn't gotten her drivers license yet.

We threw our bags in the back seat and I sat down behind the steering wheel. She took the passengers seat and I started the engine quickly before backing out of the driveway. The modest silver car hummed quietly as I navigated through the town. Skyloft wasn't a large town, but we still couldn't walk to school, as the high school was at the other end of town.

Neither of us really spoke on the drive. Zelda knows I'm grumpy in the morning. But I didn't mind the silence.

Soon, we made it to the school. Buses were dropping off kids at the entrance and they swarmed around like ants. Zelda sometimes took the bus, but she got car sick easily and the buses didn't have good suspension or something. I had complied to driving her in. It wasn't a problem to me.

I always drove in ever since I got my license because I usually stayed after school to tutor other kids in the instrumental music class. I knew how to play the harp, the ocarina, the pan flute, and the regular flute. Some kids called me a show off, but I honestly was only doing it to help others. Zelda knew how to play them, too, but the harp was her personal preference.

I parked the car in the student parking lot and said bye to Zelda before going in the first entrance I saw. I went straight to my locker to drop off my bag and gather my books for my first class...English. And goddess did I hate English class. The teacher, Gaepora was very strict. I wasn't a bad student, so I didn't get in trouble, but there were always mountains of homework that I dreaded. What made it awkward was that he was Zelda's father and I...felt almost unwelcome. Yeah, he treated me like a son, and was kind, but still...it was the whole pretense.

Gaepora was Zelda's father from a different marriage. I didn't know who my father was because he left before I was born. Basically, Zelda was my half-sister. Our mother died in a car crash many years ago. We never knew who she was, only that she looked kind of like Zelda and was named Hylia. She had beautiful long blonde hair apparently and was the one whom our harp had been passed down from.

I still try to picture her, but I know it's in vain because I was only 4 when she died, and in those 4 short years, I had little, if not no, contact with her. All I know about her came from what Gaepora said. I was born after my dad and Hylia split up and my dad left me and my mom. She remarried and had Zelda a year later with Gaepora, but that was also when she died shortly afterwards. I don't know what ever became of my father. Link I said before, I had been living with my grandma, Zelda had been with Gaepora. When my grandma passed away, that's when the arrangements for Zelda and me to live together were made.

Another thing about Gaepora was that he was the headmaster of the school. He was very intimidating, even to me. Zelda was a bit more comfortable with him, though. In fact...he...

I widened my eyes as a sudden realization hit me. Gaepora was retiring from teaching today and would only be working as the headmaster. How in the name of Nayru had I forgotten? With new found energy, I decided to go to class right away to see who the new teacher was.

I elbowed my way through the now crowded hallway and to the class. There were still ten minutes left until class started, so I'd probably be the first one. Not that I had anything better to do. My friends Pipit and Fledge, weren't at school today. I was really jealous. They were in a history class that I wasn't in, that was going to the Gate of Time to learn more about the architecture and the history behind it. Lucky them.

My history class wasn't nearly as exciting. All we did was work. All the time. It was extremely boring. I mean, all my classes were dull, but history? That was one of the worst.

By now I had arrived at the English class. The door was open, signifying that the new teacher was in.

I was curious to see who it would be.

I peeked in the room and looked for anyone, but the classroom was empty. Frowning in frustration, I contemplated whether I should just go inside and wait, or find other people to hang out with for the meantime. I wasn't popular or anything, so it wasn't just like I could walk up to some random people and expect them to like me. I was picked on a bit, I'll admit. Groose wanted to go out with my sister and I didn't want him to, nor did she herself. Groose was a big muscular guy in my grade with a red pompadour that he slicked with hair gel. I didn't really like him that much.

Just then, as I was standing in the doorway, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I flinched, almost dropping my books. I heard a light masculine chuckle at my response. I turned around after my initial moment of surprise.

There, in front of me, was a tall, thin young man in a pair of jeans that flared over his shoes, and a tight-fitting white shirt. He wore a burgundy dress shirt over it, left open. It was checkered with pale yellow diamonds. He had on a dull gold belt with a red buckle on it. There was a gold chain around his neck. Each segment of the chain was a diamond, and he had dark brown eyes and a side part of silvery hair that fell in a curtain over one eye. Only one pointed ear was visible and on it hung a heavy-looking blue crystalline gem. His skin was very pale.

All in all, I had no idea who it was. The only thing I figured was that this was probably some new staff member or perhaps a student teacher of some sort. He looked only about five years older than me and wasn't even wearing professional looking attire. I didn't really know what to say. Perhaps he was a new student who wanted to get to class early to make sure he was in the right place.

"Oh, sorry." I mumbled and tried to move out of his way, but he kept a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him.

"No need for apologies. I am Professor Ghirahim. I'm replacing Headmaster Gaepora. Are you by any chance in my class?" He asked pleasantly. I blinked a few times to clear my mind. He looked barely old enough to be out of school himself.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I mean yes! I am." I managed, all the while still startled.

I was more than a bit surprised at him being a teacher. He eyed me calmly before gesturing to me that I could go in with a large sweeping motion of his arm. He let go of my shoulder and I stood there blankly for a moment.

"Oh! Sorry." I mumbled when I realized I was technically blocking his entrance to the class. I walked in and went to dump my stuff on my desk at the back of the classroom, where I always sit when Ghirahim stopped me. He had a weird expression on his face.

"Oh, no. I'm afraid that you can't sit where you sat before. I have an alphabetical seating plan so I can learn everyone's names sooner, you see."

I looked up. Ugh. Seating plans.

Ghirahim took out a piece of paper with a flourish and his eyes darted around on the paper before looking back up at me with a hint of a smirk. Why exactly was he smirking at me? I mean, I hadn't done anything, right?

I was always self conscious about what others thought about me. Especially teachers.

"Your name is...?"

"Um, Link." I replied.

The corners of his pale lips twitched up slightly and he looked down at the page once more.

"Yes...Link..." He murmured to himself. I shuffled my feet awkwardly. The way he said my name set me on edge. Ghirahim...he was rather intimidating and I hadn't even known the guy for more than five minutes!

After a short silence, Ghirahim looked back up at me with a lopsided grin.

"You sit right here." He pointed gracefully at the desk front and center near the teacher's desk. I forced a smile on my face.

Cruel irony that I have to sit here.

I was really ticked off, but I didn't let it show. Or rather _tried _not to let it show. Ghirahim was now sitting at his laptop, his left elbow rested on the teacher's desk, cupping his chin. His right hand held the mouse and the hint of a smile lingered on his lips. His dark eyes glinted deviously and I tried not to sigh in exasperation.

The teacher had to hate me to assign me a desk right at the front like that. I guess it could just be irony, but somehow I doubted that. I wished that Pipit and Fledge were here so I didn't have to be all alone with the professor.

Kids always called me a teacher's pet. I hated it, but I admit they were a bit right. I never got in trouble, and if by chance I did, it always turned out to be a misunderstanding. I never missed due dates. I tried not to be late (although sometimes, I've slept in, 'cause I'm a really heavy sleeper). I would never dream  
of being rude to a teacher. Sometimes I was lazy and once I almost fell asleep in class. But teachers always thought it was endearing, or funny.

Maybe that was why he was acting like this to me. Or maybe I was just over analyzing the situation.

So what was the problem now?

Ghirahim seemed to think I was funny or something. I could see it in the way he smirked at me. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I swear he was staring at me out of the corner of my eye. I didn't look directly at him if my suspicions were correct. And I had barely uttered a word. I plunked down at the desk  
assigned to me and placed my books down. Then I looked up at the circular clock mounted at the wall above the door.

7:55am.

Only five more minutes before class started.

At Skyloft High, the kids tended to take their time getting to class. They would arrive a minute to, maybe two minutes to the bell. I usually arrived around five to with Pipit and Fledge. But this time, as they weren't here, I was alone with a strange teacher-

"How old are you, Link?" He asked smoothly. I jerked slightly in surprise. I tended to get caught up in my thoughts a lot.

He seemed amused.

"I'm 17." I said after a moment's hesitation.

He nodded once. "You know, I was in grade 12 only a few years ago. The prospect of graduating made me positively giggly. Are you looking forward to your graduation?"

I blinked. He used weird expressions. Who really can say 'positively giggly' without actually starting to giggle? Apparently Ghirahim could, because Ghirahim just cocked his head at me as if_ I _was the strange one. I mean, _I _wasn't the saying the odd expressions. Like I said before; I had barely uttered a word. I was still stuck on the part where he said he was "in grade 12 only a few years ago". Just how young _was _his teacher?

"How old are you?" I blurted out. The words escaped my lips without permission and I immediately looked down at the desk in embarrassment. Students don't usually ask teachers questions like this the first day they meet them. The question sounded inappropriate and-

"I turned 21 about a month ago. It is young, I suppose, but I was in an enriched program, so I qualified to become a teacher sooner than most people."

_What?!_ _He's 21?!_

I tried not to gawk. He was only four years-no, more like three years (since my birthday was coming up soon and he had only had his a month ago) older than most of the grade 12s. I tried to picture myself teaching kids four years in the future and just couldn't.

"Surprised?" He said smoothly with the hint of a chuckle.

"A bit."

Another soft laugh. "You're very amusing, Link. I have a feeling I'm going to like you."

That took my off guard. So he didn't hate me. Thank the golden goddesses. Eh...maybe I should be a bit less anxious about what others thought about me. But either way, I felt calmer knowing that he didn't actually dislike me. Well, didn't _seem _to.

I mentally breathed a relieved sigh and met his eyes again. He rarely broke eye contact. It was a bit unnerving, actually. I frowned slightly. Thinking back on what he just said made me a bit creeped out. It sounded like he was referring to a favorite food or something and it made me nervous.

"Well then," He suddenly clasped his hands together. "I'm going to greet students at the door. It was nice meeting you, Link."

He stood up and went to lean casually on the door frame, waiting for more students to arrive. I scrutinized him. Strangest teacher ever.

I only hoped he didn't give too much homework.

**/**

**A/N: I really hoped you like it enough to read on! But I mean, I need to work more on this writing stuff...ahaha XD**

**And I'd appreciate it if you reviewed! I love feedback and will answer any questions that anyone has!**


	2. Sadistic

**A/N: I'm back! This chapter will have a brief scene with violence. If you get easily squeamish about blood and all that stuff, then proceed with caution.  
**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns LoZ.**

**Enjoy Chapter 2! :D**

**/**

Kids started to slowly filter in to the class in small bunches, like usual, but I noticed many giving Ghirahim strange looks. He was very casual and relaxed and seemed utterly oblivious to the weird glances directed his way. I could not help but admire his unwavering confidence in himself.

Very soon, the class had filled up and everyone was sitting in seats that they had chosen. Only 5 seats were empty because of the field trip.

But why did I have to be assigned a desk when everyone could just do as they liked. Karane looked at me funny as if to say "you never sit at the front" and I pursed my lips back as if saying "I know. I'm not thrilled about it." She patted seat beside her but I pretended I hadn't seen the gesture. If Ghirahim wanted to be like this, then fine. I could put up with it. There was one empty seat on my left, so at least Pipit could sit near me. I frowned when I realized he'd probably want to sit next to Karane, his crush. Fledge wouldn't want to sit at the front, either, since he was very timid and would be too shy.

I glanced at my right to see Orielle sitting there. She was chattering with Keet, who sat behind her. I bit my lip as I realized that the whole rest of the year, I'd probably be stuck sitting right at the front._ Thanks Ghirahim for assigning me an awful seat at the front and letting everyone else choose wherever they wanted to sit._

Maybe he did have something against me. How could a teacher single out a kid like this? It wasn't fair, really. I know it was just a desk, but it was the was the principle of the thing.

But there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't very well move when Ghirahim was starting to hand out papers around the class. He'd notice. He placed one of the papers on my desk delicately. How does that guy move so gracefully? I mean, he even makes handing out papers look graceful. Disturbingly so.

I looked down at said paper and sighed softly. I had expected it. We had to write a paper on ourselves. Why do teachers always do these kinds of things? Are they really that interested in the students? I grit my teeth as I stared at the page. At the top was the explanation of what we had to write about, then the rest of the page was blank.

Ghirahim sauntered to the front and wrote his name elegantly on the board in a script that would put anyone else's penmanship to shame. As he lifted his hand, I saw a golden bracelet dangle off his right wrist. Another thing I don't get, like dresses; jewellery. I mean, I have earrings, but they're hardly obtrusive. They're just two little red rings that I got a few months ago. I used to have blue ones.

Either way, bracelets were going a bit too far in my mind. Wouldn't they get in the way?

I watched as he placed down the chalk.

"Good morning children, my name is Ghirahim and I will be your new English teacher. As you've undoubtedly observed, Headmaster Gaepora has chosen to retire from teaching and will be solely doing his duties as the principal."

I grimaced when he said 'children'. We were hardly younger than himself, yet he thought it fit to call us children. And about Gaepora's retirement...

Yes. We had known. Well, maybe except for Groose and his cronies, who were always only half-paying attention in class.

They mostly spent their time bugging me and trying to impress my sister, Zelda. I told her to stay away from them, and she complied. She can see that they're nothing but trouble. Not in an evil way; they were just sometimes jerks. Not to mention that they sometimes picked on me.

I looked up at Ghirahim who had the strange ability to keep my whole class focused on him. Even Groose was paying it was more like a tense silence. He had a weird effect on people. One that made us all listen to his every word like our lives depended on it.

Ghirahim had a smug look on his face now. His eyes flickered to me again and I immediately broke the eye contact. I hate having people look at me in such a calculating way. It makes me nervous.

I heard him chuckle, before I counted it safe to look up. He was eying the class again in a possessive predatory way, but maybe that was just me being too paranoid. Sometimes, I get a little carried away with my imagination.

"I'll just be doing attendance now before we move any further." He flipped his hair to the side a little when he went to pick up another sheet. As his hair moved from his face, I could see a mark. A tattoo of a diamond with intricate designs inside it. What kind of teacher was this? He was wearing tight jeans, had a chain around his neck, a tattoo, a tight muscle shirt, a huge earring, and a tattoo. Maybe other schools have teachers like this, but I knew that this guy was definitely the first looking like this to step in a classroom at Skyloft High. He was much too...fashionable? In a weird way, yes. But much more casual and sleek-looking in a way that he looked more like he should be at some frat house. Or maybe in some movie, playing one of the popular guys. I didn't know if I liked him yet. He made me nervous.

He began to go through the attendance list quickly and before I knew it, he called my name. I went to say "Here", but Ghirahim just gave a swift smile and stopped me.

"Oh, it's you. I've believe I've already made your acquaintance, Link."

I nodded slightly and he seemed to watch me for a while before moving on. I bit my lip anxiously under his gaze.

Then I heard him call out Orielle and the Peatrice and I relaxed. Just as long as he doesn't stare at me, I was fine. The way he looked at people made it seem as if he knew more about each of us than we knew ourselves. Like he knew some secret. I suppressed a shiver. Ghirahim was really creeping me out with his odd mannerisms.

Luckily, the class progressed quickly and after a short speech on what the class expectations were, we were soon working away at the sheets he'd handed out earlier. Well, I had a hard time with it, though.

I'm not kidding when I say this. I honestly didn't know what to say about myself. All I had written was;

'My name is Link and I am 17 years old. I have a half-sister named Zelda, who is in grade 11, and we were both born in Skyloft.'

I grimaced at the paper and let my eyes wander to the other kids, watching as they worked on their sheets and sighed softly. First day with a new teacher and I can't even think about anything interesting to say about myself. Not to mention that I sounded like a grade 1 kid.

Since I wanted to have this done before the end of class, I quickly scrawled down;

'I have been attending Skyloft High ever since I finished in public school. I like music very much and I play the ocarina, the pan flute, the normal flute and the harp. After school, I usually help tutor other students with their instrumental music.'

I frowned down at the sheet, as though wishing that the letters would rearrange themselves into more interesting sentences. But no matter how hard I stared, what I had written remained the same and I found myself doodling randomly at the side of the page, trying to think of something else to say.

I guess I could start talking about my family, but that was too personal. I mean _I _wasn't even sure exactly what was going on with my family. The situation was just too complicated.

I sighed slightly when I saw that the class was going to end soon. I had drawn a weird triangle design on my page and I erased it quickly so that Ghirahim wouldn't see that I had been drawing. I wanted to at least give the impression that I was a good student. Just then, Ghirahim stood back up and said something about how it filled his heart with rainbows that we seemed to be such a quiet and respectful class. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

He went around to collect or pages and he smirked when he saw how little I had gotten done, but I ignored it.

"I hope to see each of you again tomorrow." He said. Then I grabbed my books and tried to leave the class, but then I felt a hand on my shoulder again. I tensed slightly before turning to look at Ghirahim.

"I look forward to getting to know you better, Link." He murmured to me. I smiled vaguely and nodded slightly in confusion, and I left the classroom as fast as I could without looking suspicious.

/ (**Warning: Violence!)**

I frowned slightly.

_Where was I?_ There were trees everywhere and these huge mushrooms and...I furrowed my brow and tried to think straight. How had I gotten here?

Well, I just _was _here. There had been no journey. Only that one moment, my eyes were closed, the next minute, when I opened them, I was right where I was now...wherever that may be. I looked up. There was a thick, lush canopy of leaves overhead, blocking out most of the Sun's rays. Whatever light did filter in streaked the dirt floor. I looked back down and began to walk around. As I didn't know where I was, I didn't have a set destination.

As I walked, I breathed in the scents of the greenery. It was a slightly floral scent and I was actually beginning to enjoy myself. I could hear the playful chirping of birds faintly through the undergrowth, and the gentle breeze ruffling the ferns that arched down over my feet. I sighed softly and placed my foot in a clump of grass that...moved?

"Oh god!" I tripped and stumbled forward, landing on the hard earth. I lay there for a second, catching my breath before getting to my feet and turning around to see why I had fallen.

I almost fell all over again. I know I had to have jumped a foot in the air.

In front of me was a small creature that was as big as a cat, but it had a clump of leaves fixated to it's furry brown back. It had a think needle-like nose and round, frightened eyes that mirrored mine.

"Wh-what-?" I stuttered at first. I wasn't scared at the small furry creature, I was more shocked that I hadn't been alone, like I had initially thought. The creature was still frozen in shock when I realized that I was probably scaring the little guy. I took a few breaths to make sure I was calm before bending down a little bit.

"Hello. I'm sorry I stepped on you, I didn't mean it." I said._ Why the heck am I talking to an animal? It's not going to respond._

It blinked a few times in horror, shaking in fear before actually opening it's little mouth to respond. I tried not to gawk.

"Kwee! Please don't eat me! I don't taste good!" It trembled and I smiled warmly. The little guy made many little cute sounds as it spoke and it made me chuckle under my breath quietly.

It had thought I was going to eat it!

"No, no, don't be scared. I'd never eat you!" I reached out a hand slowly, palm up to show that I was peaceful. It took a cautious step forward and sniffed at my hand before freezing again._ What did I do this time?_

I pulled my hand back and knelt down on the ground.

"What's your name?" I said, but it just looked scared again.

I tried again. "What's your name?"

But again. Same response. It's eyes widened in horror and I tried not to sigh in exasperation. What was the matter? I honestly hadn't done anything this time, so there had to be something else.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

It tensed up in even more fright and suddenly ran away from me squeaking "Run!" through the woods. I saw huddle up in a ball and blend back in with the lush grass. I looked around nervously as I straightened up. What could have possibly caused such a dramatic reaction from the animal? There had to be something that was scaring him, and I sensed that it wasn't me.

I ran over to the creature and tapped it's back through the grass that grew there. It jumped up and recoiled at my touch.

"Run! Kwee! Hide or he'll get you!" It went to curl back up in a ball, but I stopped it.

"Who's going to get me? What do we have to run from? Tell me!" I said seriously. The creature looked over my shoulder and I froze. The threat was behind me. I turned around warily and saw who "he" was.

There was Professor Ghirahim, leaning casually against a tree trunk. His visible eye glinted with amusement and I looked back at the animal, who had once again, became one with the grass.

"There's nothing to worry about. It's just my new teacher. He won't hurt us." I coaxed it, but the creature refused to come out of hiding. I rolled my eyes and stood up to see Ghirahim.

"Why, it's nice to see that you're still among the living, Link. Fancy seeing you again so soon." He drawled. He was wearing the same things he had worn at school, the red dress shirt, the white tank top and the tight-fitting jeans. His earring dangled from his pointy ear and glowed as small shafts of light caught it's diamond surface.

"Hello sir. What are you doing here?" I replied.

He pushed his body away from the tree and now stood facing me. He began to pace around aimlessly and I turned around to follow his progress. He neared the creature and my mouth went dry for some reason. I had a strange feeling of foreboding and I suddenly wanted to get away from the strange young man. Ghirahim looked back at me and looked right into my blue eyes. I tried not to break the eye contact, but failed miserably as I blinked and looked at the creature's back. The leaves that adorned it's back were trembling ever so slightly and I willed it to run away. Something bad was going to happen. I could just feel it. There was a tension in the air that was so tangible I felt as though I could reach out and touch it, like I could with a taut rope or a rubber band stretched to the breaking point. One wrong move would cause it to snap...and when it did, I didn't want to be there. And I didn't want that little animal to be here either, as the tension emanated from Ghirahim.

How he caused us to be so nervous, I didn't know.

"What am I doing here, you ask?" He finally said softly. I stared and held my breath in anxiety, waiting for his answer. He looked down at the creature, who was shivering in fear. Then he looked back up at me. "Need you even utter such a question? I think we know each other well enough by now that your query was irrelevant. I am merely here to see you, sky child."

I furrowed my brow. What the heck was he going on about? I didn't know exactly what to say, so I just stood there. He kept talking, so I didn't have to answer.

"Well, I suppose I had better put on a show for you as you obviously don't remember the many fabulous times we had together..."

"Uh, sir?" I finally got out. I fingered my earring nervously and bit my lip. Whatever "show" he was going to put on for me didn't sound good, so I tried to stall. "What do you mean? I'm not sure exactly how I got here, so I...well, where are we?"

That was one thing I needed to know.

He smirked in a knowing way. Ghirahim saw that I was stalling whatever he had planned. He tore his gaze from the scared animal and met my eyes. I tried to look confident, but I know it was not convincing in the least.

"Why, sky child, we are in Faron Woods. You should have known that, considering the many excursions you made to these parts."

I frowned. This wasn't Faron Woods. The Faron Woods I knew was much more...quaint. The trees were much smaller and there were walking trails and camping places and there were certainly not such monstrous mushrooms.

And why did he keep calling me "sky child"?

Before I could question any more, a bunch of diamonds appeared in the air in then dematerialized, leaving a thin black sabre in Ghirahim's hand. He smiled dangerously and I froze. What was going on? Ghirahim was a teacher. And teachers just...don't_ do _things like this. They just _don't._

"Professor?" I squeaked. I was embarrassed by my weak sounding voice so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Um, Professor?"

Ghirahim looked over his shoulder at me and raised his thin eyebrows. He was smiling slightly, and I may have taken assurance in it if he hadn't suddenly plucked the creature from it's spot in the grass, holding it by the broad leaves that grew on it's back. It began to squeal in protest and fear at being discovered.

"Put me down! Let go! I don't taste good _at all!_" When it realized that it's calls fell on deaf ears, it began to make weird animal sounds.

"Kwee!" It screeched. I wanted to run to it's aid, but Ghirahim was looking at me in a way that said "Don't you dare move". I tried to move regardless, but my feet felt like lead and all I could do was stare in shock. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I tried to close my eyes, look away, anything, but it was all for naught because was frozen on the spot.

My teacher's eyes were glued to mine, evaluating my expression as he lifted the blade in his right hand up to the creature's plump body. He wouldn't. Nobody could be so cruel. He just _couldn't._ I held my breath in tension. There was nothing I could do as he brought the tip to the squirming creature's neck. The animal froze and stopped struggling. But it didn't matter.

The tip of the blade pressed down and I saw the delicate flesh break with the added pressure. Bright red blood dribbled down the body of the animal as it began to screech and kick again. Each time it squirmed, more blood dribbled from the hole in it's neck and stained it's light brown fur red. Ghirahim watched in a weird state of intoxication. There was a strange intensity behind his dark stare and he flicked out a serpentine tongue to lick his lips. This could not be my teacher.

It was not possible. He may be a bit creepy, but this was not him. I wouldn't accept it.

The cries of the creature began to get more frantic and Ghirahim smiled slightly as he started to drag the point of the blade along the skin of the animal. It tugged at the bloodied flesh as it tore through the sinews and fragile veins, spilling more precious blood. I stared in horror. What was this? I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Feeling a little faint, Link" Ghirahim said, but his voice sounded faraway and muffled as though he was underwater. I heard the words, barely, but even so, I wasn't in the right mind to understand a word of what he had just said. It sounded like gibberish and I couldn't respond, as no words formed on my lips. All I managed to utter was a strangled guttural noise.

He brought the sabre to his mouth and ran his tongue along it as the animal's cries died into nothingness. It's limp body lay on the ground, stained with red, it's eyes staring up at me in fright. I could almost hear it saying "Why didn't you stop him?!". It's unseeing pupils glazed over as the last of the life drained from it's body. It's gaze became accusing and I began to see black spots cloud my vision. All I could see was the creature's eyes staring at me, asking me why I didn't do anything, why I watched it die. I could still hear it's pleas for help that I didn't answer.

How terrible a person was I if I watched an innocent animal die without even doing or saying anything to stop it? I was just as bad as Ghirahim. I might as well have killed it.

Everything went black and the last things I was aware of were a soft chuckle and the bitter smell of blood.

**/**

**A/N: Did you figure out what the little creature was? It was a kikwi! I know I was a bit harsh, but don't worry about it! I'll explain it in chapter 3.  
**

**Pleas leave a comment if you have time-tell me what you think! :)  
**


	3. Dream

**A/N: Hey, again! It kinda ended on a cliffy so I'll just clear some things up in the beginning of this chapter. I know that last scene was a bit random and sudden, but you'll soon understand. :)**

**Thank you Freya the Mistwolf_, _GhiraLink, and to _Glompeh _for being the first people to review, follow or favorite! XD**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Now for chapter 3...no violence or sexual content in this chapter, 'cause I don't want to rush it and make it sound bad. It'll start later. I'm planning on this to be a long story, so patience, children! Lol.**

**I hope you're liking this story so far! Happy reading!**

**/**

I couldn't see anything. Everything was black. The coppery scent of blood filled my throat, my nostrils, my lungs. Everything was blood. I was in a dream-like state. I was confused. Thoughts were jumbling together so that I couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Needless to say, I was terrified.

I tried to move, but I didn't seem to have a body. I tried to make a noise, but I didn't have a mouth. Did that just make me a bunch of thoughts in the middle of nothing? Or was I not even that? Did I even exist? Well, I had to, otherwise I wouldn't be able to even think. I tried to open my eyes, but found that I had no eyes. Perhaps I was only my spirit.

I tried to think back on what had happened. Why had Ghirahim been there? I mean, he was my teacher and nothing more. I barely knew him. So why was he there? And what had happened after...

I shuddered involuntarily and tried to calm down. I needed to focus on the matter at hand. Then I could think about the past events.

A flicker of light caught my attention and it grew until it parted the darkness. It was a light violet color...

I felt like I had seen it before. But I knew I hadn't.

It owed brighter and brighter, blinding my eyes-or whatever else I was seeing out of as I didn't seem to have eyes. I couldn't look away or stop seeing in any manner so I was forced to look straight into the lavender light.

Then I saw something...a figure appear in the light.

_What in the name of the goddesses is happening?_

I watched as the figure became more pronounced and clearer. I still couldn't make out all the details, but I could make out the shape of a bluish female with a cape...no...wings? And two smooth eyes lacking pupils. I could faintly see the traces of diamonds on it's form.

All in all, I was a bit more confused than I already was, which was saying a lot. I wanted to say something, anything, but speech did not come to me. So I merely observed. And...listened when the being began to speak.

_So I guess I have ears...great._

I had a little bit of difficulty understanding the words at first, though. They were in a different language; ancient Hylian. We learned it at school as a second language...but I couldn't speak it. I found that the more I listened, the better I understood. Like there was a part of me that was getting it's memory back with each passing moment. But I still couldn't understand everything. I tried my best.

"...Link.."

Okay. I got that. It was my name. Easy. Now what else was she saying...

"...once again...needed...great danger...only part of...self...rediscover...now a spirit..."

The parts I understood came in snippets. Every time a word I didn't know came up, I ignored it and tried to keep up with what she was saying. Goddess, I wish she was speaking in the same language. That could make things a little bit easier. An not to mention that I was so focused on trying to translate words that I was completely missing the meaning of her speech.

"...return...where you are a hero...evil...witnessed deeds...murdering the innocent...amusement...for...wait for you...rising..." She paused for a second before finishing. "Return, Link..."

Her body began to fade away and I had another dèja vù. I felt like I had seen this happen before. But I think maybe the circumstances were a bit different...or maybe I was just imagining things.

A loud beeping sound interrupted my thoughts and I wanted to look for the source, but I had no body with which to look with, so I had to be suspended in whatever dark abyss I was in and be content with letting the loud beeping assault my mind.

It grew in volume and I soon couldn't take it anymore as my ears were ringing. It was a high pitched sound and I couldn't prevent it.

Just when I thought the beeping sound would probably render me tone-deaf, I felt a hard impact on...my body. I had a body!

I could see something other than black, too. Everything was red. Was it an improvement? Nah, not really. I preferred to see the black. The red made me think of blood. Rivers of blood, seas of blood. It made me feel nauseous, so I tried to open my eyes.

I almost started panicking when I couldn't at first. Maybe all that time without eyes or a body had made me lose my muscle memory? That was a disturbing thought. I tried not to freak out. When I calmed down, it only took a moment to remember how to open my eyes, but when I did, I wished I had kept them closed. Bright light was shining directly in said eyes, making me wince in pain.

My brain screamed at me to move and look away, so once I figured out how to move, I sat up, facing away from the light.

And then I realized that I was in my room. And it was morning.

And that godforsaken alarm was still beeping!

I jumped to my feet and grabbed the clock, smashing in the alarm off button, and successfully dropping it at the same time. It hit my foot and I stared down at it, unamused. Grumbling, I bent down and picked it up, setting it down on the night table beside my bed.

The first rational thought I formed was;

_So it was all just a stupid dream..._

I sighed for some reason.

It hadn't been a good dream, that was for sure. But I now had that dejected "my life ie so boring" kind of feeling. I mean, I was glad that that creature hadn't died. I was glad that my teacher wasn't a complete psychopath. Heck, I was even glad that I had a body after all.

And yet at the same time, all I could think of was that my life was so meaningless. I wasn't having problems at school or anything of the sort. I wasn't failing. I had good friends. But what about the greater purpose?

I know this sounds silly, but I've always wanted to have a real meaning reason to live and a purpose. I wanted to live for a reason.

I liked everything to be peaceful, but I had this urge to do greater things beyond Skyloft. And dreams only made it all the more frustrating. Some part of me was saying that I had to live for a reason, but right now, there was no real reason.

Call it whatever you wish, I just felt different than others. But the again, perhaps everyone thinks they're special and _different, _when they really aren't-

_Shut up, Link._

I scolded myself for thinking such negative, morbid thoughts and settled on shaking my head in disappointment at everything.

I sighed and went to get ready for another day of school. At least Pipit and Fledge would be there to hang out with. I had to tell them about the new teacher.

/

"You okay, Link? You seem kinda out of it." Pipit said, jerking me out of my thoughts.

He was looking at me in concern. Fledge wore the same expression. We were sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch.

I nodded vaguely and smiled in a reassuring way. "Yeah, I'm fine."

All day, I had been zoning out again, and again, and again. I swear this was the tenth time someone asked me if I was okay. I always have been a daydreamer, but never have I been so out of it that people start being seriously worried.

I guess it was that dream. It really freaked me out. I kept seeing that animal's blood pouring out of the slit in it's throat and hearing Ghirahim's laugh as I blacked out. I know it was a dream, but it felt so real. And even the weird female after. That was pretty weird as well.

And even stranger was the familiarity with the situation. It felt like I had seen stuff like that happen before. Not exactly the same, but pretty similar. It was very unnerving, and I felt very on edge even it, but I just couldn't _stop _thinking about it either!

The more I didn't want to , the more vivid it became. I felt like it was trying to tell me something important about something.

But I couldn't figure out what.

"Um, Link?"

I snapped back to reality and blinked a few times in confusion to see Fledge and Pipit looking at me concerned way.

I pretended to act oblivious to their concern.

"Hm? What is it?"

Pipit shook his head. "Nothing, Link. You're just really zoned out."

I raided my eyebrows. "Oh? Huh..."

I tried to converse again with them, but they kept glancing at me in concern. It was starting to annoy me.

"Okay. Guys listen to me. I'm fine, so please don't worry." I ran a hand through my dirty blonde hair before fiddling with my earring. It was a bad habit. My hair fell stubbornly back in place.

My friends didn't look convinced, but nodded either way.

We went on to talk about how their field trip had gone. They told me about the gate of time, and I nodded and smiled politely. I tried not to let my thoughts consume my mind again for the rest of lunch.

Our next class was English, which was just my luck. I had told my friends about Ghirahim and they were eager to see him. I wasn't. I knew that when I saw him, I'd keep replaying in my head the part of the dream where he licked the blood off of his sabre.

But I wasn't about to skip.

So we ended up walking there about five minutes to class, like usual, except I kept stalling. Eventually, Pipit had just started to pull me to class. I was not in the mood to pull my arm out of his grip, so I ended up going with them.

Ghirahim was the door frame leisurely, observing the hallway activity. I was a bit disturbed by this, but I didn't comment about this to either of my friends. They rushed up like little kids Ghirahim and introduce themselves.

I followed them.

"I believe these are friends of yours, Link?" He asked pleasantly. All I could see was blood and the limp body of the animal.

I nodded numbly, not trusting my voice to not crack on me. I couldn't meet his eyes and I mentally scolded myself for being so unreasonable. It had just been a dream. Just a stupid dream. Nothing more, nothing less, and I just had to forget it. So why was I obsessing over it?

"You look a little pale." He commented to me.

I blinked slowly, trying to think of something to say in response, but much to my relief, I was saved having to answer by Pipit, who crossed his arms over his yellow sweater and looked at me for a moment before turning back to Ghirahim.

"He's had his head in the clouds all day." Pipit said confidently. He shook his head at me, jokingly disapproving for a second. Then he turned once again, to Ghirahim. "I'm Pipit, by the way. This is Fledge." He briefly gestured to Fledge, who was looking awkward and embarrassed when Ghirahim's calculating gaze flickered to the timid adolescent for a minute before returning to me. His eyes seemed to burn into me and I tried not to flinch. I pretended to be oblivious to his stare.

"How fabulous it is to make your acquaintances, Pipit and Fledge. I am Professor Ghirahim and I am your new English teacher. I hope you enjoy yourself in my class."

Pipit nodded, always being to optimistic one. He was so confident and I just had to admire it. Compared to him, I was pretty self-conscious, regardless of my semblance of self-assurance.

Fledge was always looking up to me. He wanted to be as strong as me and I had to say he was pretty determined. But socially, he would be lost without Pipit and I. I could sense his insecurity near Ghirahim and I almost sighed in relief. It wasn't just me. I suppose Ghirahim really did have an unnerving affect on people. I recalled how the class had behaved abnormally polite and diligent with their work. Very uncommon for Groose especially.

Ghirahim was smiling slightly and I forced myself to look at him. I almost looked away again. His visible eye was trained on me. Still. He blinked slowly at me and I just _had_ to tear my eyes from his. How did he do that? He could make me nervous so easily. And it was even worse now that I had had that disturbing dream. He had to know the effect he had on people. Surely he didn't think I was always so skittish.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, I will say again. Feel free to find seats for yourselves." He said all this while still looking at me and I looked at a random spot on the wall behind him, avoiding his eyes. Apparently Pipit and Fledge had gone into the class because soon I felt a hand on my back, urging me inside gently. I jerked slightly when I realized it was Ghirahim's hand. I swear he chuckled at my reaction. I quickly rushed inside the classroom to see my two friends sitting at the back. I didn't remember whether anyone had sat there yesterday...oh, whatever.

I went to go sit with them. Who cares what Ghirahim thinks.

Kids trailed in to the classroom like they had yesterday, however there were more, since the kids who had gone to the Gate of Time were here, too, like my two friends. They sat down in desks of their choices and then Ghirahim sauntered in after the last kid and the bell rang. He looked at me and his pale lips twitched a bit. I busied myself with rearranging my books to look occupied.

"Welcome back, children..." He drawled.

It made me frown when he called us children, and I noticed a few other people purse their lips. He was only 21. That doesn't give him the right to call us children.

The class went on like yesterday, though, as dull as ever. But I was having trouble concentrating. I kept feeling as though someone was staring at me.

Ghirahim was staring at me still. I took a few breaths to relax and then I looked up at him. He smirked and I tried not to give a reaction. What was his problem? Did he have nothing better to do than to stare at me?

Well, if that was what he wanted to do that, then fine.

I cast my eyes downwards to the paper lying on my desk and tried to do my work. We were working on writing reports as a diagnostic thing, and I had written about as much as anyone else, thankfully. I reread some of it and almost gagged. It was really bad. I mean really bad. The sentences were abrupt and sounded forced, like I had written it while I had a knife to my throat.

Of course, that triggered the memories of the dream and breathed out angrily through my nose. Pipit raised his head questioningly. He was sitting to my right and I looked over at him. He raised his eyebrows at me and I just shook my head. Then I felt that gaze again and I looked up at Ghirahim who was looking at me disapprovingly.

More than a little annoyed, I lowered my head to work again. I still had time to save this paper and I wouldn't give in such a poorly written report.

But just then, the bell signifying the end of class rung and I let out an irritated sigh. I clenched my hand around the edge of the paper, crumpling part of it. I let go when Ghirahim came around to collect the sheets. I handed the sheet to him and his eyes glittered smugly. I just glowered at the desk. By the time Ghirahim had returned to the front, I had gotten my bearings and looked up at him as he addressed the class.

"I have read your short biography pages from yesterday and I have to say I was impressed..." He paused and glanced briefly at me. "...with most of you. I will let you know if there are any issues...I will see you tomorrow."

He gestured to the door and we started to leave. The class crowded into the hallway and I lost Pipit and Fledge in the crowd, finding myself at the back of the group of students. Just before I was going to leave the class, I heard my name, so I turned around.

Ghirahim was holding out a paper for me and I walked over to see it. He was smiling at me, but not in a comforting or in any way pleasant manner. He looked more amused than anything. I blinked to stop seeing the blood.

"Yes, professor?" I said meekly, hoping that paper wasn't going to tell me that I was failing somehow. We had barely done any work, so if I was failing? Well, I wouldn't be happy.

"Here's your paper from yesterday." He said, passing me the sheet. It had no pen marks or anything, so I couldn't see the problem. Then he explained and I winced as though in pain. I wasn't a slacker. I was a good student. It was just Ghirahim who was making me write badly-his presence was so distracting and it made me feel so nervous.

"Have you looked into getting extra tutoring?" He said as though it was a joke. How could he be so insensitive?

Once again, I saw the creature lying limp on the forest floor. I suppressed a sigh and shook my head dejectedly. I felt like he was picking on me, singling me out. And I didn't like it one bit. He was playing with me. He thought this was a joke.

"No."

"I suggest that you do. Well then, I'll be seeing you again soon." I turned to leave, but then he said something else. I pretended I hadn't heard it and kept walking. But even after I had left the class and was walking through the crowded, stuffy hallways to my locker, I couldn't pretend anymore. I couldn't forget those last words he had said. Ghirahim's words made me think that maybe that dream was more than just a nightmare, more than just some horror I had imagined.

Because when I heard those words, I knew that there was something off. Something that was terribly wrong. And it had to do with Ghirahim and me in some weird way.

Ghirahim's words echoed in my head again and I closed my eyes, wishing that I had heard wrong. But I knew I hadn't. I couldn't deny it.

_"I knew I would find you again, Sky child."_

**/**

**End of chapter 3!**

**A/N: Please R & R!**

**Also, chapter 4 is in the works so stay tuned! See ya! ^^**


	4. Suspicion

**A/N: Hi people! This chapter doesn't have any questionable content. Oh, there are some hints at future ghiralink stuff...but this is mostly angst right now.**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited!**

**/**

I shivered. It was early and school had yet to start. Zelda had insisted that I drive her to school an hour early for some extra singing lessons or something, and now I had an hour to waste. I didn't really have anything to do, so I was just aimlessly wandering around, but goddess, it was _cold._ Usually Skyloft was nice and warm, but today there was a certain chill to the air. I was also really tired. The only positive thing about the temperature was the way it kept me in just enough discomfort to keep me awake.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. Each digit was stiff with cold. I knew I really should go inside, but I just wanted to be completely alone right now. I was thinking.

The sun chose that moment to break through the thick covering of clouds, if only for a moment but then it quickly was swallowed up by the gloom once more. It dampened my already pessimistic mood. I wasn't a morning person, if I hadn't already stressed that; however I was feeling even more upset than usual. I was frustrated mostly. And a bit nervous.

The words that Ghirahim had said to me kept echoing in my head. Why had he called me that? "Sky child." And what made matters worse was the fact that he had called me that in my dream. He hadn't known about my dream, so how could he know what he had called me? Perhaps it had been dramatic irony or something of the like, but somehow I doubted that. I couldn't very well confront him about it because I hardly knew the guy.

We may as well be strangers.

Oddly enough, I felt as though I _did_ know him, which made me all the more apprehensive. I couldn't possibly know him. Likewise with him knowing me in any other way than teacher and student. But for some odd reason, I felt as though I knew him on a more personal level.

But if we didn't know each other in any way, shape or form, then why did I get an uncomfortable knot in my stomach just thinking about the strange teacher? Pipit had seemed relaxed in his presence. Well, perhaps a bit more wary. But that applied for the entire class.

Everyone seemed rather subdued around him. He just had a way with people that made them listen. He captivated people's attention and somehow made them do what he wanted them to do with undivided attention to the task. I let out a short harsh laugh to myself.

All except me. I just couldn't concentrate when he was in the class, I had quickly learned that. And the implications of myself needing a tutor riled me up even further. No other teacher had ever said such a thing to me. If only Ghirahim knew that it was himself that was making me so damned nervous.

I felt as though he was constantly watching me like a hawk, analyzing my every move with a calculating gaze. More so like a predator waiting for a chance to pounce on the unexpecting soon-to-be-meal.

The thought alone made me tense up nervously and I took a shaky breath. I had the oddest sensation that he knew something I didn't. _He_ meaning Ghirahim. Whether I was being paranoid or not was still up for questioning.

Just then I saw a car pass by. It was a sleek red sports car and its engine purred almost silently. I had been walking along the sidewalk outside of the school. There were only a few other cars in the parking lot besides mine; Mostly teacher and staff cars. The buses had yet to arrive. Besides the sports car, there was little other movement. I did see two other kids, both male, besides me about 200 meters away from my current position on the sidewalk. I turned to see whether I knew them, observing from afar. I came to a stop.

I frowned when I didn't recognize them, meaning that they were probably younger than me. The graduating class, my year, wasn't terribly large resulting in that I knew probably everyone in my grade, not personally, but had seen them before or maybe said the occasional greeting. But as I didn't know these two kids, I guessed that they were not in my grade.

I sighed slightly, realizing that I'd just have to bide away the time before school started, solitary. So with nothing better to do, I continued to watch them. I sat down on a stray bench that was across the street from the building and let my bag slide from my arms to the seat. I proceeded to wrap my shivering arms around my midriff.

Now that I was settled comfortably, disregarding my shivering, I listened to the sounds of the morning in Skyloft. As I had expected, it was a quiet. There was never much activity going on in this part of town besides school, anyways. I heard the gentle murmuring of voices and my attention returned to the two teens by the school. I mentally shrugged and then eavesdropped, for lack of a better term.

"…Yo, look at that car." One of them said. They pointed towards the parking lot, where I had parked my car.

I turned to look, like the kid's friend had done. I noticed now that there was another vehicle pulling up beside it and I furrowed my brow. It was the shiny red one. Its engine cut out smoothly after parking flawlessly. I glanced back at the two teens near the school. They were visibly admiring the vehicle, but I had never cared much for flashy things.

I mean, I liked my cars, no doubt there, but I preferred more modest-looking ones like the one I currently drove. Ah, well. Some people preferred being noticeable.

The door to the car opened and I felt an increasingly familiar tingle run up my spine to my neck. I watched as the driver exited their car and I found myself being stared at again. It was, as I should have guessed, Ghirahim. Judging by his immaculate fashion sense, I just about assumed that whatever car he had would be sleek and expensive. And I was proved right.

He meandered by his car with an air of superiority as he extracted his supplies from the passenger side before closing the door and locking it swiftly. His gaze had broken contact with my eyes while he did this, however he acted almost as if he expected to have an audience, and that he did. I was still observing as he went about gathering his necessities for a day of teaching.

After this, he looked back up and expectantly met my stare with a small amused smile. He raised a hand in a casual, yet brief wave and I was going to return the gesture out of politeness when he did something unexpected. He suddenly smirked and his curtain of silky white hair blew away from the usually hidden part of his face. I could see a glimpse of both dark eyes, and it hardly lasted for a second, but then he…_winked_ at me!

I felt my face heat up out of habit as I flushed crimson. That had been more than awkward, I mean…what…? I looked away in embarrassment and also a weird sense of foreboding. I tried to hide my flushing cheeks with my hands.

When I felt the extra red color leave my cheeks, I rendered it okay to look up. Much to my relief, I saw the door swing shut behind the offender and I stared at it in a mixture of shock, unease, and embarrassment, words failing me. Not that I was planning on utilizing speech in soliloquy, but even so. If I had wanted to talk, I would have not been able to form words yet.

I snapped out of my stunned trance when another car passed by. It pulled up in the parking lot and I blinked a few times to pull myself back together. I glanced at my watch and decided to head inside. My muscles were stiff with cold and the buses would be arriving soon, so there was little reason to linger outside. I wasn't really one for crowds.

I stood up from my spot on the bench grabbing my bag and crossed the street before entering the school. The warmer air made me sigh quietly in relief as I felt myself practically defrosting. It was very quiet inside still and I headed down the hall casually, taking my time. I went to my locker and opened it, stuffing my bag into the small cramped space. Then I took out my books for my first class; math. I was glad I didn't have English yet, since I really didn't feel like seeing Ghirahim right after what he did.

There was the sound of footsteps and then I closed my locker before glancing up. Speak of the devil. Why did nothing ever go in my favor?

Ghirahim sauntered down the hall in a relaxed manner, holding two text books under his arm. He was wearing a tight, long-sleeved shirt with an open collar that showed off some of the smooth skin on his neck. On his wrists, he had the golden bracelet that he always wore, and the ice blue diamond earring still dangled off his ear. I also noticed that he was wearing a pair of tight fitting dark, almost black jeans that were adorned with some white diamond stitching.

There was streaks of pale violet under his dark eyes. He slowed when he neared me and I hastily tried to look busy with my books. But he'd have none of that, now would he? I could sense that he didn't like to be ignored.

Ghirahim chuckled lightly and my head snapped up. I fiddled with the edge of my beige sweater and tried to act natural, noting how uncomfortable his presence was making me.

"Oh, hello there, Link." He said smiling at me. The smile was not friendly in the least.

"Hello, sir." I replied for lack of anything better to say. He blinked slowly and then took a step closer. I tried not to back away.

"I am terribly sorry if I hurt your feelings yesterday, I was only trying to help." Ghirahim raised a hand to brush his hair out of his face, but it just fell back down and covered his left eye once more. "That's why I have a new proposition for you."

I bit my lip awkwardly as I took a step back and hit my locker door. So much for not backing up. He took another step towards me and I shifted nervously, all the while trying to look nonchalant, but I know I didn't fool him. I blinked a few times to stop replaying the dream in my head and mentally cursed at myself for hearing "Sky child" echo in my head.

"Um, what do you mean?" I got out. He gave me a disparaging look before his smirk returned. Right now, he wasn't the teacher anymore, he was someone else. I don't think he ever was a teacher in the first place. Not a real teacher anyways.

"I was merely going to say that I could personally give you extra assistance in your writing. I find that it lacks in some aspects…"

I resisted the urge to say "What?!" out loud and satisfied myself with a meek "Well, I mean…no, you really don't have to-I mean, I'll be fine."

Ghirahim's eyes glimmered dangerously and for a second and I quickly changed my mind as he took one more step towards me casually. Did he understand the meaning of "personal space"? Apparently not.

But he stopped there, thank Farore. Ghirahim hovered near me as I repeated myself with more self-assurance. I wasn't going to let this teacher make me do anything I didn't want to do. He seemed to be deliberately intimidating me and I didn't like it one bit. I wasn't going to just back down quietly. It wasn't really in my nature to cower. The only unsettling thing was that Ghirahim's presence had strange effects on me and I found it hard to resist the intimidation.

"No, I think I'll be fine without a tutor," I said. ", and I'm going to go to the library to return a book if you don't mind."

I added that extra comment just to get him to move and he obliged smoothly. I shot him a quick look over my shoulder as I rushed to the library. His eyes bore into my back until I was out of his sight. What a way to start my morning off.

/

I laid my head down on the desk in lethargy, letting my eyes slide closed momentarily. I was really tired. Last night I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about Ghirahim and what he had said, and today hadn't really been that great. What with his new "proposition" and all that.

_I knew I would find you again, Sky child._

Not that thinking had helped in the matter much. In fact, it only worsened it. Now my sleepless night was getting the better of me. I think I had only slept for an hour. It wasn't just what he had said, either. It was that something else was nagging at my brain. Something that I felt directly related to Ghirahim. Like he was part of a greater picture…

"Hey! Link, wake up!" Pipit's voice called out to me and I opened my eyes sleepily only to realize that I had begun to doze off. I shook my head slightly and rubbed my eyes tiredly. The warm air inside the school was not keeping me awake like the frigid air outside.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up." I grumbled. "I'm just so _tired._"

"I know how it feels, man. But honestly, you can't let yourself fall asleep in class, and I mean; how'll you be able to sleep when Ghirahim keeps staring at you?"

My eyes flew open after realizing that they had slid shut again without me knowing.

"What?"

Pipit raised an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean, 'what'?"

I groaned and sat up straighter, leaning back in the chair lazily. We were once again in the English class, but Ghirahim wasn't here yet. Moreover, we were excruciatingly early to class so there were still 20 minutes before it started. Fledge had opted to go to the library to do work over lunch, and so after we all ate, we went our separate ways.

Pipit had seen me almost falling asleep over my food, so he dragged me to our next class so we could relax here instead. I had resisted the notion the whole way, but Pipit had insisted that I come so that if I fell asleep, nobody would sneak up and draw on my face or something.

The only person I could imagine doing that was Pipit himself. He may seem like a really prudish person, but he's not really once you got to know him.

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his sarcastic question. "Ghirahim doesn't stare at me."

This was my weak attempt to convince Pipit that Ghirahim didn't stare at me. I knew for a fact that he did, but there was no harm in me knowing. But it was just plain out embarrassing that Pipit had noticed. How many others had noticed then?

"That would be creepy." I added, trying to act oblivious. Goddess forbid that Pipit starts telling everyone else that the new teacher stares at me all the time. Who knows what other unwanted attention it would bring onto me? I didn't want strange rumors circulating. And I was already what some would call a "teacher's pet".

"Come on, Link!" Pipit sighed, exasperated. "You know that he stares at you. And you're a really bad liar, too."

Eh, fine. If he knew that I was lying, why keep fueling it?

"Fine. But why the heck are you so observant? I guess it was stupid hoping you wouldn't have noticed. It's weird like anything." I closed my eyes to avoid the eye contact, and also just out of fatigue. I could hear Pipit snicker and my eyes opened again. "It's not funny! I can barely concentrate when he's watching me like that. He's like a stalker or something!"

Pipit nodded in mock understanding. He was trying not to laugh.

"Oh, shut up you!" I scolded teasingly. A grin broke out on his face.

"It's funny, that's all. He looks at you like you're something in a museum."

I muttered mutinously for a few moments, which only made Pipit laugh even more.

"Nah, Link. I was just kidding. He's a weird guy." I looked back up at Pipit and the corner of my mouth twitched slightly up.

"No, duh." I replied, heavy sarcasm dripping off of the two words.

Just then, said teacher entered the class smiling at the two of us in an amused way. I immediately jerked to attention and Pipit snickered silently beside me. I shot him a glare and he shook again with silent laughs, which eventually subsided.

I glanced up at Ghirahim, who was writing out the day's lesson in an elegant script on the blackboard. I looked back at Pipit, who had calmed down. Just why did he think it was so funny? Sheesh…

Fledge arrived at the class at that moment and Ghirahim nodded pleasantly at him as he entered the room. Fledge mumbled awkwardly in response and went to come sit beside us.

"Hey Fledge." I said. Pipit gave a small wave to him.

"Hey guys." He sounded upset and he slumped down a bit in his chair.

We caught onto his sombre mood in an instant. "What's wrong?" Pipit asked.

Fledge shook his head. "Nothing that bad, I guess."

Pipit opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, Fledge gave a resigned sigh and told us.

"My teachers think I should get a tutor."

I felt as though a rock had settled in my stomach. It reminded me of myself getting told by Ghirahim that I needed a tutor. Now I could empathize with him. I noticed Ghirahim turn around in my peripheral vision. He watched me again with the same calm interest, but I ignored him as best as I could.

"Why boy, no need for the sullen face." Ghirahim then said. All three of us looked up at him. He leaned casually against his desk, one hand on his hip. "Actually, Link here has been struggling in this class and I offered to tutor him. It can be very beneficial to have extra help, and I hope you both consider it. It would certainly put a spring in your step to know that you have help right when you need it."

I grimaced and Fledge blushed. Pipit looked at me and cocked his head, I shook my head by an infinitesimally small fraction to signal that I'd tell him later.

"Um, well, sir…you see, I think I will be alright without a tutor." I managed to get out. Fledge looked at me curiously. He hadn't known about the whole tutor thing, either. "I don't doubt that you'd be help or anything, it's just that I think I'll be fine…I appreciate the offer anyway."

Ghirahim wore an amused smile again and it made my irritation grow slightly. For some reason, he just made me so angry. Irrationally so. It was uncharacteristic of myself to lose my temper so quickly. But it just felt right to argue with him. It was as if I had done this before.

"No, look. I don't need a tutor. I've never needed one before and I don't see how I should need one now." He chuckled lightly, but I cut him off again. Right now it was just me and him.

I wasn't going to let him win this one. He had provoked me too much with all his little comments and his dramatic poses and-just _everything._

"I just had a bad day," I went on, "so you don't have to do anything about it. It's not my fault that you-"I suddenly broke off when I realized that to go on would be to step over a line of what was right and wrong. It was terribly wrong to tell off a teacher, regardless of who they were. My anger began to dwindle when I saw that Ghirahim seemed to become even more smug. It only fueled my anger at him.

Pipit and Fledge looked at me with mild shock on their faces. I had never been so brash to a teacher before. It wasn't outright rude what I said, only…not polite at all. I lowered my head in sudden shock. Strangely, though, I didn't regret what I'd said. I felt really strange right now. Like Ghirahim had done me wrong before. It was a major déjà vu, but I swear that nothing like this had ever happened before.

I looked at the desk sullenly. Kids began to filter into the class and I suddenly felt really sick. Ghirahim had triggered some deep emotion that was causing this. I wished that he had never come to be my teacher. Everything seemed off and it was making me feel physically unwell.

He hadn't responded to my outburst.

I stood up and went to go see Ghirahim. I could see my hand shaking in tension. What was happening to me? Why was I reacting so strongly? It was almost as though I was scared…but of what?

Weaving among the other students finding their seats, I made it over to Ghirahim. He waited expectantly for me and he put his hands on his hips casually, acting as though nothing had happened. "Yes, Link?"

I didn't meet his gaze. "Can I be excused for a little bit?" I asked. Something felt terribly, terribly wrong. I had the sense that Ghirahim shouldn't be here. I felt as though I shouldn't be here. I suddenly felt out of place and vulnerable and I needed to have some time alone for a little bit.

"We will discuss this in the hall. One moment." He looked up at the class and the bell signaling the beginning of class rung out. Then he addressed everyone else. "Fancy seeing all of you again. I will only be a moment, I have some business to attend to. In the meantime…" He drawled, "Karane? You will hand out one page to everyone."

Ghirahim bent his head slightly and plucked a small bundle of sheets from a folder on his desk. Karane confidently approached and received the papers and began to hand them out to the class. I watched patiently, but I felt a weird twinge of anxiety building in my chest. Ghirahim was just…off. He always had been, but now I was really feeling as though nothing that was happening made any sense anymore.

I felt a small tug on my arm and I jerked slightly at seeing Ghirahim's hand on my shoulder. He motioned for me to follow him, so I did.

Once stepping outside the class, he closed the door behind him and now we stood in the deserted hallway. More unease crept up my shoulders. He was going to do something. I could just sense it. I felt like I was in serious danger, danger that I had felt before. But I just couldn't recall the memory…it lay just out of reach.

"What appears to be your dilemma?" He queried. He twirled a long, delicate finger around a strand of his silk-like hair then let go. The strand drifted back to its original position. Said hand moved to place a delicate, long finger at the corner of his pale lips. I felt a light spasm run through my body.

"…I just don't feel that great." I winced at how lame my explanation came across. I was beginning to regret releasing my frustrations. Ghirahim moved his hand away from his mouth to run his fingers along the iridescent surface of his diamond earring. He cocked his head curiously. Everything he did was immensely distracting and I had to rip my gaze from his earring.

"Why is that, boy?" He took a few steps closer to me and I unconsciously backed up against the wall of lockers. He reached out to me and I narrowed my eyes. But I couldn't move as Ghirahim touched my cheek and I visibly flinched. Ghirahim's face was unreadable as he gazed at me. I could see the reflection of my cerulean eyes in his dark chocolate brown ones. I felt as though I was paralyzed and I couldn't even make a sound.

He was too close.

Much too close for my liking. I had another weird feeling of familiarity. When had he been so close to me before? I wracked my brain for the memory, but again, it lay out of reach, taunting me…

"I will ask again…Why are you feeling this way?"

His fingers ran over my cheek, making me shiver. Each trail he drew seemed to burn and send electric shocks through me from the place it originated. I tried to respond, but no sound came.

Stop…I silently pleaded.

My muscles seemed to finally respond and I jerked my head to the side abruptly. Ghirahim backed away and had a lazy smile on his pale lips.

"I see you haven't changed much, child. So defiant…but what am I saying? You wished to be excused?" I nodded numbly. "Then very well. Go. The reason is undoubtedly of little importance, but if you feel so horrid, then so be it."

I stood there for a few moments, indecisive before snapping out of it and coming to my senses. I blinked rapidly and then hurried along the hallway to get away from Ghirahim, who I knew was still watching me.

I just needed some time to think. It was enough having him as a new teacher…but then the dream…calling me "Sky child"…and now this could be added to the list.

I had a feeling that none of this was happening by coincidence…

**/**

**A/N: End of chapter 4! Hope you liked it!**

**Before I forget to ask: How will you want the future interactions between Ghirahim and Link to be? And how would you like them to behave? (this is in terms of violence or sexual content and defia****nt!Link, submissive!Link, etc). This's awkward to ask, but I need to know because I want you all to enjoy this fic.  
**

**Okay then...all that awkward stuff aside...**

**I'd love it if you took your time to review! Thanks :D**


	5. Departure

**A/N: This chapter doesn't have a lot of dialogue in it. It's mostly just about Link's emotions and doubts. The plot is starting to take off, however. It might seem a bit confusing at first. We'll see. :)**

**Not completely pleased with how this chapter turned out, but I hope you guys like it anyways.**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ**

**Thank you to all you readers out there! Enjoy :D**

**/**

Something warm trailed up my bare chest and I shivered despite the heat. It felt like a mouth, and it left a trail of wetness behind. I groaned lightly in my throat. I felt two hands run up my waist as the mouth moved away. I tried to open my eyes, but everything was just black. Perhaps I was blindfolded.

But because of my temporary lack of sight and my overall disorientation, I didn't expect the feeling of warm lips pressed against mine. They were incredibly soft and I gasped at the contact, but immediately yielded to the smoothness that was over my mouth.

The hands got greedier as well as the mouth, which was hungrily working at mine. I didn't kiss back, though. I was a bit shocked actually. I just lay there as my upper body and mouth were attended to. My body started to heat up and tingle. I was beginning to consider kissing back, but just then, the lips moved away.

"Sky child…" A breath ghosted over my parted lips and I froze.

What did they just say? _Sky child?_ Where had I heard that before?

I wracked my brain, trying to organize my flustered thoughts.

"Open your beautiful blue eyes, sky child." The voice said again. I recognized it…it was definitely male, which already was beginning to creep me out…I didn't kiss guys. Well, I guess I hadn't ever kissed anyone before, much to my embarrassment, so my thought was immaterial…

But still…

I felt something brush over my eyes. It was a smooth texture, like a cloth or something, which concluded that I had been blindfolded. Then it was gone. But I didn't yet open my eyes. A feeling of apprehension was creeping up my spine. I almost didn't want to know who my company was.

I resiliently kept my eyes firmly shut for a few short moments, mentally disputing whether I open them or not, when my building curiosity got the better of me.

I slowly, hesitantly cracked an eyelid open. It was dark, so I didn't see anything, save a shadow, right away. Trying not to look nervous, I opened my eyes all the way and I suddenly wished I had kept them closed.

Ghirahim. I honestly felt as though I was going to throw up. My throat tightened sickeningly and I had to swallow to keep from gagging. I should have guessed.

"Wha-?" I choked out. Eyes wide, I jerked away from him and kicked the covers off of me, proceeding to retreat as far back as I could on the bed. I crawled on top of the pillow and backed into the wall by the headboard. Realizing that I was still bare from the waist up, I hastily grabbed the quilt and covered my body.

"Get away from me!" I hissed at him. I grabbed the nearest cover and wiped my mouth off thoroughly. I could still feel the spots on my chest that his hands had prodded and I longed to take a shower to rid myself of his disgusting touch.

"Why, aren't you pleased to see me?" My glare must have answered his inquiry, for he shook his head in mock despondency. "I suppose you're not going to make it easy then. I figured as much. But ah, well, I suppose some punishments can be arranged."

I glared at him longer and tried to get off of the bed to stand up-anything to put more distance between us-however, my foot got caught in the untidy sheets. Irritation flooded through my face, flushing my cheeks red as I yanked at the covers. I frowned when I realized that Ghirahim was the one causing the ensnarement of my foot. His weight was keeping the blankets wrapped around the limb.

I could feel Ghirahim's eyes trained on me, practically _taste _his amusement at the seemingly futile performance, but I ignored him to the best of my ability.

Suddenly, with one final tug, I unhooked my foot from the sheets, and went crashing to the ground, head first. The impact of my head on the unyielding floor was jarring.

"Ngh…" I groaned and held my head in my hands, eyes closing in pain. But something felt different suddenly, the moment I hit my head. Everything seemed…less fuzzy. I could think. And my head wasn't sore at all.

I opened my eyes, and saw that I was not actually on the floor. I was still in bed.

The sheets were covering me properly and when I checked, I found that I was indeed still wearing something to cover my top half. So what…?

I looked around the room in confusion. What had just happened? The room wasn't nearly as dark as it had been…

And there was absolutely no sign of Ghirahim…It took me a few moments to orient my thoughts. When I was finally fully aware of everything, I sighed in sudden relief. It hadn't actually happened. From what I gathered…it had been a dream. Much more vivid a dream than I was used to. It was slightly disturbing how I found it difficult to differentiate my dream from reality for a moment there.

I took a deep breath to make sure I was thinking straight, then I thought back on the dream. Dreams tended to slip through your mind like water through an open hand. I didn't want to forget what I'd dreamt, regardless of how disturbing it was. I never wanted another dream like that again, but sometimes, dreams could be important, and you just had to analyze them.

But now was not the time, I guessed. Not to mention that I honestly could do without thinking about it. I wasn't terribly pleased at all. I was mostly grossed out. I felt violated.

I sighed and leaned over to grab my phone which was on my bed side table. I should just sleep now. I had had enough trouble even trying to sleep after the incident at school. When I had snapped at Ghirahim…

But when I'd finally lost myself to unconsciousness, I had only had that creepy dream. Either way…I wouldn't want to be tired at school tomorrow; fear of having dreams with Ghirahim in them shouldn't dissuade me from sleeping.

I turned on the phone and the light from the screen made me flinch a bit before my eyes finally accustomed to it.

I groaned when I saw that it was after midnight. There were only a few more hours left of the night and it didn't seem like I'd be getting any rest at this point. I kept hearing those words Ghirahim had said to me.

_I knew I would find you, Sky child._

What had he meant by that? And was it just irony that he had called me Sky child in the strange dream of the previous night? And what had he meant when he said that he knew he would find me? It was starting to get to me. And what was really disconcerting was when he had touched my face. He was too touchy-feel for my liking.

This isn't forgetting when I had completely started to reprimand him for offering to tutor me. It still bothered me greatly.

I wasn't stupid. I mean, I wasn't ever the smartest in my classes like Zelda was in hers, but I was definitely not one of the weakest. It was only his presence that was making me do so poorly, but of course I couldn't tell that to him. I couldn't talk to a teacher like that, even if it was the issue…the best I could do was to snap at him, which I had. I hadn't gone as far as to say he was the reason, though.

And what was with all the staring? How was I supposed to do any work while he was watching me like a hawk? It was creepy in all senses of the word. And now _this _dream. As if I wasn't already freaked out by his odd behavior and his other appearance in my previous night's dream, I just _had_ to dream of him kissing me. It disgusted me that before I had known who it was, I had actually enjoyed it.

Moreover, what made the matters worse was that I felt like I knew him from before, which was insanely ridiculous as I had only just met him…something felt off…

I shook my head and turned off my phone, placing it back in the table. It was all dark again, save for the faint moonlight shining through the window panes. It cast its pearly glow over the otherwise dark room. But it still wasn't as dark as in the most recent dream.

The moonlight sure wasn't the reason for my insomnia. It was no use even trying to sleep, when every time I closed my eyes, I would see blood and hear Ghirahim's voice taunting me. Or now feel him kissing me.

What was worse was that I was doubting myself. I was feeling unsure about the dreams, namely the first one. The perverse one that had Ghirahim in my room felt more like the doings of an over worked mind. But the one with the blue person and the poor creature that got killed…_Was _it even a dream? Could it possibly be some kind of...weird psychic thing?

Why else would Ghirahim call me Sky child? He hadn't known about the dream. Well, not from what I was aware of. I mean, by all rights, he shouldn't know about it.

I closed my eyes and tried again to sleep. Underneath my eyelids, everything was black.

There were little spots of light that sometimes would flash in the blackness if I squeezed my eyes shut tightly enough. I amused myself by doing this a few times until my eyes started to tire.

Zelda was probably asleep by now. She had been all worried about me when I had driven home from school after tutoring Kukiel, a very young girl, on how to play the flute for the first time. She said I was acting as though I was afraid of something, or as if there was something bad happening. Zelda was very perceptive. She had always been wiser than me.

I smiled thinking about her. What would I do if I didn't have a sibling?

A weird sound made my eyes fly open. It sounded very close.

I felt my muscles tensing and I listened carefully again...and I heard it. It was a melodious sound and I had an epiphany of hearing the same sound before. Luring me out of my room. But not in a bad way...the sound was not evil.

I quietly placed my feet on the ground and slid on some shoes just in case. I went to grab some clothes, but then realized that I was still wearing the clothes I had worn during the day. I had forgotten to change.

I must have been really out of it. No wonder Zelda was worried about me when I got home.

Shrugging a bit to myself, I grabbed a dark blue jacket and then stood silently in my dark room. I listened carefully just to confirm that it wasn't just the product of an over-active imagination...

...and there it was again!

I walked quietly to my door and opened it. It lead to a small hallway that my room and Zelda's were situated along. There was a small staircase that lead to the first floor where a few other rooms were. The house wasn't terribly big either way, and when I heard the sound again, I knew it was close. It had to be coming from inside. But where exactly?

I tiptoed along the hallway, stopping every so often to listen for the sound. It never failed to alert me. My footsteps were almost silent on the wooden floor.

As I passed Zelda's closed door, I wondered vaguely whether she was awake or not. Judging by the lack of sound, she was probably still asleep; only the faint sounds of slow, steady breaths.

_Good. _I thought. _I need to protect her and investigate this by myself._

It was just brotherly instincts, I guess.

I followed the sound further down the short hallway and then I saw a glimpse of a figure and I almost fainted out of shock.

It was that blue-ish female from my first dream. Was I going crazy or something?

I blinked again and looked for the figure, but apparently she had rounded the corner. I was a bit nervous, but I had to find out what was going on, so I set my jaw and proceeded down the silent hallway and then around the corner. There were only the stairs that lead to the first floor around this corner, so I concluded that that was where she must have gone. So I went down the steps, skipping the creaky one.

When I reached the last step, I noticed a cool breeze ruffle my hair and I frowned. Then I noticed that the door was open wide, letting in the cool night air. It was not too dark out at least since there were street lights on. We lived in a residential area, so it wasn't going to be as bright as, let's say, the area where the bazaar or something. The bazaar was where most people hung out, and it was always busy and cheerful.

Thinking about the bustling, lively place did little to cheer me up, though. I was a bit disturbed. The door was wide open and any stranger could have come in. I always locked the door at night to prevent against these things. Perhaps I had forgotten, like I had forgotten to change into pajamas. I had a lot on my mind, so it was a possibility. I heaved a sigh and went to go close the door when I heard that sound again.

This time it was fainter and was coming undoubtedly from outside. That was the last straw. I furrowed my brow in concentration and walked out into the night, closing the front door behind me quietly. I looked around for the blue figure and saw it almost immediately by the corner of the house, heading into the backyard.

It moved in a smooth dancer's gait and I was a bit taken aback at its grace. It moved as smoothly and as confidently as Ghirahim did when he walked. Strange really...at least this person wasn't disturbingly graceful. They looked more like a dancer, rather than…whatever Ghirahim looked like when he walked. He looked more menacing.

But I couldn't worry myself about that. I didn't want to lose that person whom I'd been following.

I blinked to let my eyes get accustomed to the darkness of the backyard as I approached the glowing being.

"Wait!" I called softly. She paused and turned to look at me. I was apprehensive of getting any nearer, so I looked from a little distance. Her blue smooth eyes watched me calmly and I was about to ask who she was when she began to head farther away into the forest beyond the house, cutting short my opportunity to ask questions.

But I still followed anyways. This felt important and my curiosity had yet to be satisfied.

I took a deep breath and delved into the woods after her. The shadows reached towards me and I tried to be courageous. Part of me wondered whether this was more foolishness than anything, but I shrugged it off.

"Wait!" I called louder. I saw her slow down and pause again to make sure I caught up a bit before heading off again. The darkness would have been overwhelming if not for her glowing form.

Nonetheless, I was a bit uneasy about this whole situation. I was following a strange figure that had appeared to me in a dream, into the woods, at night, and more importantly, without anyone else's knowledge. Nobody would know I was out here…if something happened…

I shuddered at the thought. I could see it in my mind's eye; A strange dark figure following me into the woods, shrouded in the darkness. Immediately, Ghirahim popped into my head. He had that aura about him that said not to trust him. I could visualize him in the woods, creeping up behind me…

I could only imagine what a guy like him would want to do with me…he was always looking at me like I was something to eat and it rattled my nerves. The faint memories of my most recent dream lingered in my head.

Again, I shuddered and had the urge to look behind me, just to confirm that my English teacher wasn't hiding in the trees, but he wasn't. I ran a hand through my hair as I trekked deeper into the woods, the halo of light surrounding the strange entity was my beacon. I knew I was spooking myself out, and I didn't know why. Maybe it was because I was nervous, but I just knew that I had to do this. I needed answers.

Either way, I had to stop being so paranoid, otherwise I would completely lose sight of the important stuff. And right now, my task was to keep that spirit-like person in my field of vision. There weren't really many other options. I could either follow the person into the woods, or I could not.

If I chose not to, I would be in just as bad a position because at this point, I realized that we had traveled so far into the forest that I wouldn't be able to easily find my way back to Zelda and the house. I had left her all alone in there. Yeah, she had just turned 17, but still…I didn't want her to be all alone while I was lost in the woods. Better yet to follow the entity and have light, than to stumble around in the darkness. At least, I could see where I was going, and I had some kind of guide.

Not that I had any clue of the destination.

I stumbled over a tree root and almost fell, but luckily, I caught my footing. I had trailed farther behind while I was caught up in my musings. Jogging a bit faster, I looked around madly for my guide and saw her about ten steps away. She was watching me calmly, waiting for me to catch up once again. It was like a game of cat and mouse, yet the mouse was teasing the cat. The only real difference was that this person wasn't teasing me. She was making sure I was okay.

At least that was something good. Well, that was _if _her overall intents were good-natured.

When I was a few steps closer, she took off again, this time faster. I weaved through the trees, trying to keep a watch for any other obstacles, but I couldn't see anything in the suffocating darkness anyways, so it was kind of pointless.

After a few moments, I noticed that the trees were becoming more spread out and that the undergrowth was thinning rapidly. There was a clearing ahead and I felt a surge of curiosity course through my veins. I needed to see where that girl had lead me.

I neared the clearing and stopped abruptly in surprise. The sky opened up and there were many stars that shone from above. The moon was full and shone pale milky light over the land.

But that wasn't why I had stopped. No. I was staring at the structure ahead of me. It was very old and parts of the walls were crumbling in places. Ivy crept up the walls in patterns that resembled those of veins under your skin. The ground was packed earth and stone here. Little shoots of robust weeds were poking through the cracks in the ground closely neighboring the untamed grass and bushes that the clearing was enclosed with. Everything was bordered with shadows, from the encroaching forest, but the moon and the star's light kept them at bay.

I stepped over a few stray branches on the ground and stood on the hard earth, noticing the little details, like the way it had little purchase under my feet, no give to it. It was as solid as the stones that were also embedded within it. It made me think that I wasn't the first to be here. And yet, my senses told me otherwise. This place seemed like unexplored territory.

A faint call of my name made me stop my thorough examination of the earth, and I looked up to see the blue female calling to me. I met her gaze and she nodded reassuringly, so I stepped further into the clearing, towards the old building. Strangely, I didn't question how she knew my name.

There was a huge, and I mean huge, door made of stone up ahead and I briefly wondered how she would open it, being so small and petite. But much to my chagrin, she merely looked at it and it groaned in protest before it opened by itself just enough for her passage through.

She disappeared inside the old structure. I hesitated when I reached the large doors that were slightly ajar, but I followed too, knowing that I had nowhere else to go, and besides, I was burning with curiosity.

The first thing that struck me was that the whole interior was very dim. There were thin shafts of moonlight that shone through little cracks and fissures in the ceiling, so this provided at least a bit of light, but not enough to rid the place of the shadows clinging to the walls. My shadow joined and melded with them. I also noticed that it was pretty cold. The stone walls kept the air cool and crisp, in a way that I was shivering slightly. It had to be at least three degrees cooler here, so I pulled the sleeves of my sweater over my hands in an attempt to keep them warm.

Taking one last fleeting look behind me at the moonlit clearing, I turned and went farther into the old building. Up ahead, I could see a faint glowing that signified my guide's presence and I slowed my step so as not to get too close. I needed room to run, just in case anything bad happened.

The light began to dim after a few moments and I concluded that she had gone farther, so I fell into a light jog to make sure I wasn't left behind. I rounded a large statue thing that looked like a wheel in the middle of the room, and then I saw her standing facing me. She was definitely not human, now that I saw her properly.

She was shades of iridescent violets and blues, with black legs crisscrossed with green markings. Instead of arms, she had two wing-like features that billowed down beside her. Her face and short, smooth hair was a glowing blue color and two smooth indent things for eyes. She was looking at me, seemingly floating about a foot off the ground.

I looked past her to see a set of steps. Each step was almost as wide as the room itself. I could not see any further, nor see what lay at the top of said steps.

My gaze returned to the only other person in the building with me, from what I had detected.

"Um…Who are you?" I said meekly, suddenly shy of speaking. I was always a bit nervous talking to strangers.

She watched me for a few more seconds before beckoning me to go up the stairs. I was a bit wary, but I did nonetheless. It was only a few moments before I could see what lay at the top. I stopped dead in my tracks.

There was a sword, standing upright in a stone pedestal.

I turned around to see the being standing at the foot of the steps, watching me. I was going to ask her why she brought me here, but then she began to speak. It was in that ancient Hylian again, so I had to translate in my head as she spoke. I didn't get every word, but the sentences made sense, well, kind of.

And again, that feeling of familiarity…would it ever go away?

"Link, I have been waiting…You are…great danger here and…return"

I got most of what she said. But I was at a loss of words. She continued talking, obviously not expecting a response.

"Take up the sword…Answers…with regaining…memory."

I frowned at that. I hadn't lost my memory, so…what on earth was she saying to me? I stayed where I was, refusing to take the sword.

"I can sense your…"

She said another word, after "your" but I didn't know what it was. I assumed that she was sensing my unease and distrust.

"If you are to stay…darkness…befall both worlds…"

There was a slight urgency to her voice, so I bit my lip, thinking about what I should do. I couldn't believe that I was actually considering her preposition to take the sword. But I had already followed her here, so…why not just do it? There didn't seem to be any danger here, and I was very curious…

"Who are you?" I asked again.

"Apologies…no time for answers." She replied. I furrowed my brow in mild irritation, but she sounded pretty urgent, so I supposed I'd better listen. There was one thing I had to still ask first, though.

"Why do I have to do this?"

She blinked at me once. "…return to home…chosen…life in peril…"

I nodded, trying to understand. I was still very apprehensive of this whole thing. Strangely, there was something inside of me that told me to trust her.

Okay. I had made up my mind. I took a step towards the pedestal and then paused as apprehension settled in. But I wasn't going to back down now. Whatever she meant seemed pretty urgent, so I guess I could do this…and this darkness that she mentioned couldn't be good.

But then again: I didn't even know this person. This point was soon brushed aside as greater issues took their place. What would happen if I _didn't_ take the sword?

I ended up convincing myself to do it.

I set my jaw and took another few steps to the sword. In the back of my mind was a glimmer of doubt, but I held my resolve and placed my hands on the hilt of the sword. It was adorned with winding green ridges and had two dark purple wings to it. The blade was shining silver and violet in the dim light.

Then I pulled it out of the pedestal.

And I suddenly felt as though a ton of bricks had hit me in the head. Thoughts, ideas, memories, images, everything…was flooding into my mind.

Information overload! My brain screamed at me, but I couldn't do anything about that, as I couldn't bring myself to let go of the sword. It just felt_ right _to feel it in my grasp. It felt _natural_.

And I had never held a sword in my whole life.

But something in my head said otherwise. Not in this life, but in another.

When the flood of information stopped, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down a bit. Then I opened my eyes and looked at the person, no, _spirit_ before me. I somehow suddenly know who she was.

"Fi." I said quietly. She curtsied at me and then raised her head to look at me.

"Recognition complete…master."

I understood everything she said, which scared me even more. My mind was a bit fuzzy. It felt as though I had a library in there, but I didn't know how to access all the books I needed, so I had a whole bunch of unused information that only came in small spurts.

"What happened to me?" I whispered.

"You have regained your previous memories from your other life. All will be explained when we have gone back, however only time will help you to fully remember your original life." She stated.

"Wait, where are we going? I need to say good-bye to Zelda, she'll be worried." I interjected. I couldn't just leave her like this.

"Master, you will see her again once we return. I will use my powers to bring us back, however you will not be able to come back here easily. I suggest that we leave as soon as it is possible, for there is a 93% probability that our whereabouts will be discovered by the demon who calls himself Ghirahim within the next 10 minutes."

"Ghirahim? What-what do you mean? He won't know we're here. And he's not a demon, or anything! I mean, he is creepy and all, but…I'm really confused." My head was spinning as the information tried to be accessed, with no success. It only came bit by bit.

"Master, I will explain once we have arrived in Skyloft."

"But we are in Skyloft!"

"I advise we depart soon." I frowned at this, but didn't argue. She seemed to know what she was talking about and I did need my questions put to rest. Once we arrived at the Skyoft that she was talking about, then I would finally understand. Besides, I trusted her in some weird way. As though I had known her for a long time, but I just couldn't remember why.

I nodded. "I'm ready."

Fi looked at me one last time and then bowed slightly before she vanished into the hilt of the sword with a graceful leap. At least I knew that she was a sword spirit, so it wasn't really surprised. I was mostly confused at why I knew her at all. But that was going to be answered soon, I hoped.

The sword in my hand began to glow, first dimly, then brighter and brighter until the entire room was filled with the violet light. It sparkled around me and soon I couldn't see anything as it surrounded my body.

I closed my eyes as it grew in brightness, intensifying until I was sure I'd go blind if I stared at it…

And then there was a light feeling in my body and I knew that something had happened. It didn't feel like there was any ground beneath my feet. My heart pounded in my ears.

But the feeling vanished in an instant and soon the light was gone. When I felt the ground under my feet, I knew that there was no turning back. I had made my choice, whatever my choice had insinuated, whatever impacts it would cause.

The new warmth in the air told me that I was now far away from home, and it held less substance to it. There was no breeze now. None of that heavy oppressiveness of that weird old building…yet at the same time, there was no insubstantial feeling that I had felt during the time that the light was shining in my eyes. I had arrived at my destination…

Skyloft…but not my Skyloft…at least, it didn't feel like that. I felt a stab of doubt at myself in my chest. Had I done the right thing? I couldn't answer that with any real proof. It only had felt like the right thing to do at the time. But either way, there was nothing I could do to change my decision. I must be crazy.

The only way to go now was forward, and I couldn't stand here, with my eyes closed forever, hoping to return to my home.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

**/**

**A/N: ****Hope you're liking it so far :D**

**Please review if you have time! **


	6. Reality

**A/N: Hey, I'm back. This chapter is mainly just dialogue-back and forth stuff, explanations, etc. So nothing that exciting, I guess. I appreciate all the reviews, follows, and faves a lot, though! They cheer me up because I didn't think this would get many readers. **

**Next thing I have to say: there isn't any Ghirahim/Link stuff here yet because that'll come a bit later along with some more angsty stuff. This chapter might seem dull (which it is kinda), but please bear with me. I hope it all makes some sort of sense! The plot won't get much more confusing than this.  
**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Enjoy!**

**/**

"Where am I?" I asked Fi, who had come out of the sword and was floating in front of me.

I was still standing where I had arrived, in the middle of a modest bedroom. There was a single bed with a faded green quilt, a small window with a wooden frame, a desk, a bookshelf, a wardrobe and a few other unobtrusive pieces of wooden furniture.

The light source came from a small yellow-tinted window higher up on the wall and the cracks between the larger window and its shutter-it had to be daytime. A few lamps had been mounted along the walls.

As for these said walls, of them was more what I'd call a large wooden divider. There was a small gap at the top that opened to what I presumed was another room. The other walls were painted a forest green. Opposite to the window was a door that was currently closed, so I couldn't see what was outside the room I had arrived in. I felt at home here.

Fi did a graceful sweeping gesture around the room. "Master, this is your room at Skyloft's Knight Academy."

I sat on the edge of the bed. "Um…I-I really have no idea what's going on…"

"I will explain everything to you." Fi reassured me before continuing, "In clarification to your previous question, we are currently in a different Skyloft than the one that you remember at the present moment in time."

"Wait, so there're _two _Skylofts?!"

"Affirmative. If it will help, I will provide a brief history."

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed softly. Right now any information would be immensely helpful. I felt as though I had picked up a book I hadn't yet read, flipped to a random page, and started reading-no idea what's going on. "Okay."

I knew I needed to know as much as possible. My head was spinning and I was honestly beginning to worry about what I'd gotten myself into. I had no idea why the sword was so important, nor why it felt so natural to wield it. I had no idea why I had even trusted Fi enough to follow her deep into the woods. And I was still really creeped out by that dream.

Fi bowed to me once. I could sense that this explaining would take a long time…and I was really worried about Zelda. What will she think when she wakes to find that I'm no longer there?

But I couldn't afford to worry now. I had to focus on what this Fi person was telling me.

"I am collecting the data…" She paused, then went on. "Many generations ago, there was a great war. There is a land known as the Surface that which many good races had lived, when countless evil and malevolent creatures sprung forth from a rift in the earth."

She watched me with calculating eyes and I met her gaze with interest.

"They mounted a brutal assault on the Surface dwellers and drove the land into deep despair. These people could only look to the heavens as they were helpless against the droves of demons, that which desired to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess.

"This power, known as the triforce, is capable of turning any wish into plausible reality."

Uh...what? "But there's no such thing that can do that…"

Fi nodded to me, "Yes, in the other world that you remember, this is nonexistent; however, here it is entirely true. It has such great power that it is only entrusted with the goddess."

"Oh..." I murmured, having nothing intelligent to say back. "Sorry, you can continue."

"No need for apologies, Master. I understand that you feel confused." With that, she went on.

"At this time, when there was evil swarming the Surface, the goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth, which she sent skyward along with the triforce, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. It remained above the clouds where it would be safe.

"While the humans were now protected as well, she returned and fought against the hordes of demons with the other land dwellers, successfully returning peace to the land once more. Many centuries later, you were born here in Skyloft, the land above the clouds, and became the Goddess' Chosen Hero to stop the rising evil."

"Um, stop for a sec. How do I have anything to do with this?!" I spluttered, "I mean, I wasn't born here. I'm not a hero."

Fi blinked. "Master, you were born here, however, you have yet to fully regain your memories. I predict that they will return within the next week at most."

"If you say so…" I muttered quietly. None of this was exactly sitting well with me. I had almost zero idea of what she meant. I wasn't sure about this whole "different Skyloft" thing, for one. And secondly, I didn't get how I fit into this whole story.

I wished I was back with Zelda and Pipit and Fledge, going to school again. I suppressed a small laugh at the thought. Who would have ever thought I'd miss going to school? But then again…Ghirahim was at school, and I didn't really feel comfortable around him, more so after the whole…kissing dream. He stared too much and he thought I needed a goddamned tutor, too! Geez…

Fi looked at me skeptically as I went from looking annoyed, to sad, amused, uncomfortable, then back to annoyed within a few seconds. I blinked a few times rapidly to clear my mind and shook my head at her as if to say that I was listening and she could continue.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit confused now. I'd like to hear the rest of what you were saying if that's okay."

"Apologies are unnecessary. But I will continue if you wish." She replied. "When you turned 17 years old, Zelda, your friend the Spirit Maiden, got kidnapped by the demon lord Ghirahim-"

"Sorry, I just have a really important question." I flushed as I interrupted. I knew it was impolite, but I had to clear up some things before she went on. A lot of this was going over my head. I would almost think this was another dream if not for the fact that I'd only woken up from one…how long ago?

I frowned when I realized that time seemed different here. This seemed much more plausible as a dream than the scenario of Ghirahim being in my room…not that I was exactly happy with that. It just seemed more normal to have that happen than to have your whole system of beliefs turned upside down. Right now, she was basically saying that everything I had thought was reality was not-well, for the most part. So what was real and what wasn't?

The thought scared me. Shaking myself back to what Fi claimed was my reality, I looked back up, waiting for permission to ask my question.

She nodded at me, signaling me to ask. "Uh…Zelda is my sister…and, um, what exactly did you mean by the Spirit Maiden?"

"Here, you are not related to Zelda. She can be called the Spirit Maiden since she is the goddess Hylia incarnate."

Again, this only brought up more questions. "Hylia? Is this the same Hylia as…?"

My mother was apparently named Hylia-well in the other world, so I was kind of becoming disturbed. And Zelda wasn't my sister here? So was there two of her then? It made my head hurt just thinking about it. If there were two Zelda's, then did that mean that there were two of me? Where the heck was I exactly? I was having an extremely difficult time believing any of this, as it just seemed completely outlandish.

"It will become clear soon, Master. Hylia in the other world was mortal, however here, she is a goddess and looks after the people. The world you were sent to was inhabited by versions of the people here, but in another life." Fi said. Well, if she said so…then…I guess.

"As I was telling you earlier, Lord Ghirahim kidnapped Zelda." I had to force myself to keep my lips sealed so I wouldn't interrupt again at this. "He had kidnapped Zelda, as he wanted to use the soul of the goddess to revive his master, the Demon King Demise. King Demise had been sealed away centuries ago after leading the demons into the Great War. Hylia has a divine spirit and Zelda held this spirit inside of her too. Neither you, nor Zelda are blood related to Hylia, since she is a divine being."

At this point, I realized that I just had to stop thinking about my life back home if I wished to understand any bit of what she was saying to me. I needed an open mind, and none of this would make an ounce of sense if I kept trying to reason through comparisons.

"You were the one chosen by the goddess to defeat the demon lord and his master, while saving Zelda, the Spirit Maiden. You wielded the Master Sword, the blade that you hold now in your hand. I am a servant of the goddess and am also the spirit of this sword. Normally the sword rests here in this native world, but Hylia sent it into the other reality so it was accessible to you for your transportation here."

Way too much information all at once, but I tried to look like I understood it. I was about to ask what happened next, but she seemed to read my mind.

"After about a month's time, you successfully protected Zelda and eradicated Demise and his followers with the help of the triforce. The Surface was once again peaceful and the people of Skyloft have decided on creating a settlement there.

"Another month passed peacefully, but at the end of this time, you discovered that the demon lord Ghirahim still lived. You went to confront him, however, I soon realized that he was not planning on murdering you. He is also a sword spirit to the blade that Demise wielded and, like me, had sacred powers. He used his dormant powers to teleport you into an alternate universe and you lost your memories along the way. Zelda has had no knowledge of this, but the dormant spirit of Hylia was informed by myself. Oftentimes, Hylia will know something that Zelda does not. I communicated with the spirit of Hylia and told her what had happened.

"As Lord Ghirahim is not as tightly bonded to his sword, he is in some ways less inhibited that I. He was able to teleport after you into the universe you have been living in. I was only able to find you after Hylia sent me. She had been unaware that you were in trouble. I have calculated that there is a 93% chance that Ghirahim had been raising an army in the Demon Realm, waiting for the chance to raid the Surface again and raise his master. I have used the verifiable information provided to calculate this percentage.

"Time in the alternate universe you were living in is faster than time here, meaning that you have only been gone from this world for what I calculate to a total of 4.73 days. Your memories of your childhood in the other reality formed when you had lost yours. You are still aged 17."

I furrowed my brow and looked away. What the heck was all this?! Did she mean to tell me that my life had been all fake?

"So…none of my other life was real?" I said meekly. She shook her head and I let out a breath.

"Negative. The other universe is still real, however, it uses copies of some aspects of this world as it is a newer universe and was based off of this one. Many of your memories were false, but a few are correct, namely the memories over the past two months in that world. When your full memory returns, it will become easier to accept this. It was only of the utmost importance that you return to this world, since Ghirahim is from what I have calculated, planning a raid on the Surface in what I estimate to be about 3 months from now. I had gathered that his motives were to rid himself of anything that would oppose him before resurrecting Demise again. I can presume that he was planning to dispose of you while vulnerable in the other world, with no memories, and then return to prepare for the upcoming battle without a rivaling threat to his powers to resurrect Demise, his master. Hylia has not told Zelda about this, for she knows that you will be able to defeat Ghirahim before this worsens. She does not wish to cause panic among the civilians. You were brought back as soon as was possible."

I stared blankly for a few moments after this long speech and closed my mouth when I realized it hung open. The phrase "dispose of you" echoed in my head in a disturbing way. So he had wanted to…kill me?

"So…um, can I reiterate that?" I asked, trying to get my thoughts together.

"Yes, master."

"'K, so I was actually born here and was a great hero, right?"

Fi nodded in confirmation to my query.

"And then-Ghirahim." I choked out the name, still a bit confused about that. "he was found alive after we all thought he died and he was bad because he wanted to bring back the...uh, evil..."

"You are correct."

"So when I went to defeat him, he instead sent me into this other world, in which time is really slow?"

Another nod.

"And then he followed me and you and Hylia think that he was planning on killing me while he raised an army of demons from the underworld to raise this…Demise person? But then you told Hylia and she sent you to find me and bring me back before I got hurt?"

Fi paused as though processing information, which she probably was. I honestly was disbelieving of this whole story. I refused to wholeheartedly believe it. The notion was ridiculous. I suppose there was a little flicker of doubt, though. She sounded so sure of herself, even with her monotone, mechanical voice. I felt like I should believe her, but I didn't want to. I didn't know if I wanted to find out that my life had been a lie and that nobody was who I thought they were.

"Your interpretation is correct, however, it is the demon realm as opposed to the underworld."

I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, musing over what to say next. Ghirahim appeared in my head and I realized that I still had yet to ask about him.

"Okay. I have another question about all this." I said carefully, trying to figure out how to voice my concerns. "Is the demon lord Ghirahim the same person who was my new English teacher, or was it just a coincidence?"

"I will require more information before I perform an analysis. Did he do anything abnormal, or that you deemed strange?"

I paused for a second. "…yeah. He said that he knew that he would see me again or something like that. And then I had a strange dream and he called my sky child."

Time for the really creepy thing. "And then he called me sky child the next day at school even though he didn't know about the dream I had."

Fi blinked at me once. "May I inquire what happened in this dream? I had sent you one as a warning when Hylia and I sensed the impending danger."

Wait…so that dream. It wasn't just a dream after all? I briefly described the dream to her.

"I was in a forest and there was this small creature with leaves that would come out of its back when it curled up in a ball. Then," I swallowed nervously, "Ghirahim came and killed it."

My sentence ended in a whisper and I had to shake my head before I continued. The horror of seeing that animal die chilled me to the bone, but I had to move on. "He kept calling me sky child. And then the dream changed and I was in the darkness. Then…I saw you, but I didn't understand everything you said because I don't understand-I mean didn't understand-ancient Hylian very well."

Fi nodded solemnly. "Yes, that was the dream. The first sequence in the dream was given as a warning, but it hadn't occurred. It was an example of something he would not hesitate to do so that you would be cautious around him."

I suppressed a groan of irritation. So that dream had been to warn me? Well, it more freaked me out, I thought bitterly.

But I ended up just sighing in defeat. "Is Ghirahim from the other world the same Ghirahim that you mentioned? The demon lord?"

"I have concluded that he is. Many others in the other world are versions of the people living here. This is shown in how there are two Zelda's, they coexist as two different persons, unknown to the other, but still the same."

"Does that mean that there are two of me? And two Ghirahims?"

"Negative. You and the demon lord were not meant to live in this world. This world is not supposed to exist."

I frowned a bit. "Do my friends in the other world exist here? Like Pipit and Fledge?"

Fi nodded and I felt relief wash over me. "They do, as with many others, but will play slightly different roles in your life."

And that only brought about more questions. I could now feel fatigue creeping up on me, but I refused to go to sleep until I got all the answers I needed. "Do they know about the other world?"

"No, master. They are not meant to know. Only Hylia, you, Ghirahim, Demise, and I know of this world. Hylia has requested that you keep it a secret. Your disappearance went unnoticed, for you had not told anyone of your discovery of Ghirahim being alive. You had left and told the others that you were going to revisit some of the places you had gone to during your quest. I came with you since you took the goddess sword again. Ghirahim cannot be easily harmed with a normal blade. You had traveled to his location in the Eldin Province and confronted him. Nobody else was aware of this. I will admit that I did not expect him to teleport you away.

"When this happened, I spoke to Hylia and she sent the goddess sword to the other world for me to guide you to. You will remember the events that followed. I will aid you in any way possible." She bowed low to me and I couldn't help but blush. I'd never get used to this bowing thing.

"You, uh, Fi? It's okay. You don't have to bow to me."

"If that is your wish."

Okay, so now that was settled…but now what? What was my reason for being here exactly? To defeat Ghirahim again? I couldn't imagine myself doing that. From what I knew, he was just a teacher. And a creepy one at that.

Anyways, about this world in general…did I even have any family here? It sure didn't feel like it. I felt very alone actually. I was in a strange place with strange people I probably thought I knew, but didn't really-or didn't remember-and I was a former hero. But there was still the unmistakable feeling of nostalgia lingering in the air.

"So what'll Ghirahim do when he finds me?" I asked. "Won't I be expected to do something about him?"

"Yes, master. I will help you to regain your skills to prevent him from reviving his master and protecting the spirit maiden."

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples. This was just a weird dream, surely. I wished it would end, but when I opened my eyes, I was still in the same place, in the same predicament. I sighed.

"Won't people notice that I'm acting off or something?"

"I will aid you. At the present moment, I strongly advise you to rest. It is mid-afternoon, and if you sleep now, you will be able to wake up early. I will show you around Skyloft when you wake."

I nodded reluctantly and took off my shoes before jumping on top of the green quilt on the bed. I didn't even bother to look for pajamas. I was too tired and the information overload was weighing me down, along with the events that just took place.

Again, I wished in vain that I would wake up in my real room. Scratch that. What I thought was my real room, but apparently was not. But I somehow doubted that. This was too elaborate for a common dream. The thought scared me.

Just as I could feel my consciousness slipping, I thought I heard something. Something that made me shiver. Something that I know I've heard before. A chilling sound.

I thought I heard a laugh.

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**A/N: Sorry for the dullness. Fi kind of sucks the emotion out of my writing. I don't mind her that much, she's just a little bit...monotonous. You know what I mean. Link isn't completely freaking out because remember: he hasn't really slept and his body clock is still thinking it's after midnight, so he's really lethargic. Also, the info hasn't sunk in yet. Ghirahim will be in the next chapter, though! Sorry also if the explanation was a bit hard to follow.  
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**Chapter 7 won't be up for few days. I have exams next week, so I'll need to study :)  
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**Lastly, please leave a comment! I love to read the ones I have-they fill my heart with rainbows XD  
**


	7. Defiance

**A/N: Wow...this is way longer than I intended. Geez...  
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**Anyways, I'm so thrilled at all the wonderful reviews that you guys have left! I love the feedback!**

**Also, this chapter has Ghirahim in it towards the end. Next chapter will be definitely rated M. XD I hope you all like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.  
**

**/**

I woke up to the sun in my eyes and I groaned. I hated the sun sometimes. I turned over to my side and stuffed my face into the pillow. It was...Thursday? Yeah. This meant that I had school again. Ugh. Funny thing was that this morning, I woke up before my alarm clock.

I lay there for a few more moments before reluctantly deciding to get up and see what time it was. I opened my eyes sleepily as I sat up in bed-then froze in alarm. Where was I?! I frantically looked around the room in shock.

...then I remembered. I felt a surge of panic in my chest, but I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. So, I guess it really _hadn't _been a dream. That was scary. I really _was_ stuck in another world. I didn't know what to think about it.

Now fully awake, I got to my feet and then stood there awkwardly, not exactly sure what I should do and more than a bit alarmed. What was I supposed to do? I mean, I got myself stuck in another world-or, in another universe-who knows where? I felt more panic swell deep in my chest, surging and growing inside of me. I was all alone in a strange world. I wasn't a little kid, but I honestly felt like one.

Just then, a voice startled me and the surprise replaced the growing anxiety in my chest.

"Master, I observe that you have woken up." A small yelp of surprise escaped my lips and I swear I jumped at least two feet off the ground. My head whipped around to see who had spoken. I saw Fi floating near the goddess sword, which was leaning against the wall. I relaxed a bit.

"Oh, hey Fi." I said, trying to act nonchalant.

"Good morning, Master Link. It is exactly 7:23am."

"Thanks." I replied, still working at steadying my heartbeat. "Um, what are we going to do today?"

"I will show you around Skyloft first. I took the liberty of placing your clothes on the desk over there." She gestured over to where a pile of neatly folded forest green fabric was sitting and I went over to pick them up. There was another bundle of beige fabric and some white fabric underneath the mass of green. A smooth leather belt with pouches wrapped around part of the green material.

Also, they were heavier than I initially thought and I rummaged through the bundle until I found what I was looking for-the source of the weight. Chainmail. I sighed. Would everyone else expect me to wear chainmale? And if so, then what kind of world was this? I answered my question: a world that floats in the sky.

"Master, your boots are by the foot of your bed." I went over to where she had told me and immediately saw a pair of brown leather boots. Okay then. I looked down at my sneakers and then back up at Fi.

I stood there with the clothes, the pair of boots sitting near my feet. She stared back at me silently and a small blush formed on my cheeks. "Can you...?"

"Of course, Master." She vanished into the hilt of the sword so I could have some privacy. Still a bit unsure, I dumped the pile of clothes on the bed and picked up the sword. I proceeded to put it behind the wardrobe. I'd never get used to having her with me all the time. I liked time alone sometimes. But she probably knew that already. I only hoped she didn't take offense at being put behind a piece of furniture…but if she really did know me, then she would be okay.

I went back to the clothes and frowned. They looked much too warm for the temperature. It was slightly balmy in my room, and the sun streaming through the cracks in the window shutters and the smaller one showed that it wasn't really the weather for this kind of attire. But I had no other clothes to change into-from what I could see-so I pulled off the clothes on my top half, leaving me half bare. I threw them on the unmade bed, then rubbed my eyes sleepily.

Sifting through the pile of new clothes, I found three layers for my top half: a white undershirt with an open collar and long sleeves, a green tunic, and, of course, the chainmail. I pulled the white shirt over my head and...It fit. I hadn't really thought about how odd the fact was until I tried it on. Strange. Well, unless I really _had _been born here...

No. That couldn't be true.

I pulled the chainmail on next and grimaced. Not exactly what I'd call comfortable. The metal segments on it were cold to the touch. But I had to wear it. I honestly hoped that I wasn't the only one wearing clothes like this. I'd better not look ridiculous after I've put these on.

Next was the tunic. I pulled it over my head and struggled a bit until I found the arm holes. I tugged it down properly and then fixed the collar of the white undershirt which had bunched up uncomfortably by my neck. Overall, the tunic was strangely light-not nearly as warm as I thought. It fit nicely and came down to my thighs. I grabbed the belt and tightened it around my waist. There were a few pouches that hung down from it. It actually felt really nice to wear after all. I was mildly surprised at the breathable fabric, easy to move around in.

But now for the pants. I took off my own and put on the new pair of underwear and the beige pants. They were loose, but hugged my hips in a nice way, not too tight or otherwise. I slipped the boots on and tucked the bottoms of the pants into them out of instinct. This felt strangely familiar-the routine. The soles of the brown boots felt like the soles of my sneakers; molded to the shape of my foot from simply wearing them-a lot. It had a rustic feel about it.

The only piece of clothing that was left was a pair of gauntlets and a…_really _awkward-looking green floppy hat. I was _not_ going to wear that. I would look even more ridiculous-what am I saying? Complaining about a hat…I was who knows how far away from home, being told that I'm supposed to do something about my English teacher, in a strange place…and I was complaining about a hat.

Well, I guess that reality hadn't hit me yet in its entirety.

I suppressed a sigh and then reluctantly pulled on the hat and then the gloves. I brushed some of my hair out of my eyes and then made sure that the white sleeves of the undershirt were under the gauntlets. I pulled at them to make them fit snugger, then I adjusted the belt once more before exhaling with an air of finality.

At that moment, Fi came back out from behind the wardrobe and I blushed in mild embarrassment.

"Sorry for…putting you over there." I mumbled awkwardly.

"It is alright, Master." She said, "You will find your scabbard under the bed with your shield."

Riiiight. A scabbard? Was I expected to carry the sword around? Apparently.

I bent down and looked under the bed, brushing away part of the quilt in the process. I could see the glimmer of something metal in the darkness, so I reached out to get it. I ended up dragging out a heavy shield. It was a metallic blue color and there was a triangle design on it made of three golden triangles. Wreathing it were two "S" like designs made of a silvery metal. To top it off, there was a red-painted picture underneath the triangle thing that looked like a bird with its wings spread out in flight. Metal bordering adorned the outer sides of the shield. It was cold and smooth, but my fingers ran over a few faint striations in it, probably the marks of a fight that I wouldn't remember.

I lugged it to the bed and then went back down on my stomach to drag out the second item; the sheath that was under there, but had yet to find. I reached under the bed and moved my hand around a bit until my fingers hit something else. I wrapped my hand around it.

Dragging it out from the darkness under the bed, I saw that it was a scabbard. It had leather straps attached to it and was a metallic blue. There were golden pieces that welded to its outside.

I picked it up and put it next to the shield. They both reflected the light from the sun brilliantly.

"Okay" I said, turning around to face Fi. "What's next?"

"Put on the shield and the sheath and then take the goddess sword with you. I will guide you around Skyloft before it is too busy outside."

I nodded and then picked up the sheath. So…how did it go on? The straps on it confused me a bit, but I eventually figured it out. I grabbed the shield and fumbled with it until it was on my back comfortably. Then I went to the wardrobe and took the sword out from behind it. It weighed me down and I bit my lip as I went to put it in the sheath.

It was hard to bring it over my head like that, so it took me a few tries to get it into the scabbard properly. I flushed red when I saw that Fi had seen me struggle with putting the sword away.

"Heh…" I laughed awkwardly once everything was properly on.

"It is alright, master. You still need to remember your past life. Then it will become easier."

I smiled half-heartedly and then reached up to adjust my hat. It was really strange that it didn't seem inclined to fall from my head. "Should we go?"

"Yes. Follow me. I will take you around the knight academy and then outside."

"Okay."

We left the room and then went through the academy. I was glad that I didn't see anybody else. I didn't really want to talk to anyone yet-especially since I'd probably be expected to know them, but really wouldn't.

I liked the academy, though. It had a home-like atmosphere and I found myself enjoying the tour, despite myself. It was fairly simple, but in a good way. It felt lived in, it felt alive, welcoming. But the constant twinge of homesickness was beginning to get to me. I couldn't quite relax completely. I kept thinking about Zelda. Fi said to me the night before that I would be seeing Zelda soon enough.

At the time, I thought she was talking about Zelda, my sister. But now I realized that she was probably referring to Zelda, the goddess incarnate. It made me a bit sad to think about it. I hadn't asked Fi about my family; if I had any here, but it sure felt like I was alone. Maybe when I got to talk to some people, when I was comfortable being here, maybe then I'd feel more at home.

I wasn't really sure what home was anymore, though. Was this place home? It felt familiar in a home-like way, but at the same time, no memories came to me, nothing to enforce the feeling. The first picture that would come into my head when I thought of home was my home in the other Skyloft. Not this one.

"Master, I sense that there is someone coming near. I will return to the goddess sword to simplify your conversation." Fi suddenly said. We were in the knight academy still and the tour had gone well so far. I was a bit caught up in my thoughts, so I hadn't even heard the faint footsteps at all.

"Wait, Fi!" I whispered loudly to her, but she had already retreated into the hilt of the sword. I considered turning back to avoid human contact, but I didn't have time. Soon, around the corner came somebody that I recognized.

I had to blink a few times to make sure it was really him.

"Pipit." I said quietly, without even knowing the word had escaped my lips.

It had to be him. He was wearing clothes similar to mine, but they were a mustard yellow color. I suddenly felt less self-conscious in my green tunic.

He blinked his blue eyes at me. "Hello Link. I haven't seen you in a while. I heard you had gone down to the surface to revisit some places."

I couldn't believe it. It was actually Pipit. It was actually him. I was semi-aware of staring at him, mouth slightly open in surprise. This had was what Fi meant when she said that everyone was going to be here, but would be slightly different. It was Pipit, and yet…at the same time…it wasn't.

"Link? You alright?" He asked, making me blink, flustered.

"Wha-"I started, jerking myself out of my state of shock, "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired I guess."

He shook his head and smiled. "With all the sleeping you do?" Pipit chuckled a bit and I grinned, relieved that he hadn't thought I was acting too strange. So I guess I slept a lot here, too. Some things were the same, at least.

"Heh, well you can never get enough sleep." I scratched the back of my neck.

He shook his head in amusement again, "You're probably asleep more time than you're awake!"

I laughed quietly and brushed my hair out of my eyes again, but it stubbornly fell back into place. Instead, I fiddled with my right red earring. It was the only obvious sign of my anxiety, but he didn't pay it any attention.

"So" Pipit changed the topic. "How was it on the surface? I've been pretty busy here in Skyloft; Karane's staying here too. We're finishing up our studies, so I haven't gotten down there much. How's Hyrule coming along?"

I bit my lip before thinking about something to say. The surface…Fi mentioned earlier that the people are beginning to settle there. So Hyrule was the name of the new settlement, probably. Okay. I was ready to answer. Or not. And Karane? So she had another version of herself, too? I found myself getting a bit disturbed by the scenario. It was almost creepy how everyone had essentially a double of themselves, but were unaware…

After a slightly delayed reaction, I coughed a few times to buy myself some more time, and then decided to bluff my way through it.

"Well, I-I mean, it's coming along well-Hyrule, that is." Pipit's eyes betrayed some skepticism, but I went on. "I had gone to…to…"

What was it? The…Eldin Province? Yes, that was it.

"…to the Eldin Province to, uh, revisit some places from my-my um, journey thing. I decided to, well, stay there for a few days because…because I was…uh-busy and there were some…things I had to do. I just got back yesterday and was-was sleeping-yes. I was sleeping and was really tired. You should come to the surface to see Hyrule for yourself."

Pipit raised his eyebrows at me suspiciously and then I decided that I needed a way out.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again Pipit! I have to go now."

"Why? What's the matter?"

Oops, I guess I sounded too urgent about it. I needed to backtrack.

"Oh, no nothing's wrong! I have to…to go to see-" Great. Now I had backed myself up into a corner. Who else would be here that I knew? I suddenly thought of someone. "-Zelda! Yeah, Zelda. I promised that I'd meet her once I got back. I was too tired to yesterday."

Now I just hoped that he didn't see through the lie. I was terrible at lying and if he was anything like the Pipit I knew from the other world, he would know that.

He nodded uncertainly and then bit his lip. "Well, if you say so…see you later."

"Yeah, later." I replied. He knew I was lying. But thankfully, he didn't pry. Fi said that nobody else was supposed to know about the other world and so I had to try to act normal, basically. Otherwise everyone would think I'm behaving strange. And of course, that would just bring about more interrogation and attention than I wanted now.

When I regained my memories, I would feel comfortable in talking to people. For now…I planned on sticking to my lonesome unless I absolutely had to go and talk to people.

I left the confused Pipit by himself and went down the hallway. I was glad that awkward situation was over. Now I just had to be ready for the next conversation.

When I was out of Pipit's range of sight and was safely around the corner, I stopped walking.

"Fi?" I asked quietly. She immediately came out of the sword and stood in front of me.

"Yes, master."

"What's Pipit's role in my life here? Who is he really?"

"Master, Pipit is in the year ahead of you. He is a senior knight and can also be considered a friend of yours. Mallara is his mother and they live here in Skyloft, so he does not have a room at the academy. Pipit is also on night patrol of the skies around Skyloft."

I nodded. "So what's Hyrule, then?"

"Hyrule is the village that being built down on the surface in Faron Woods, near the Sealed Grounds, where the goddess sword had been before."

"Where's Zelda staying right now? On the surface?"

"No, she is here in Skyoft, in her room. She has a room here at the academy, like you. Her father, Gaepora, is the headmaster of the academy and he is on the surface temporarily."

Again, I nodded. "Thanks Fi. Where to next?"

"We can go outside if you would like."

"Sure."

She began to lead the way again, and I followed eagerly. Everything was happening so fast that I could barely keep up. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

We went through a pair of doors and then sunlight blinded me for an instant. I took a few more steps out into the fresh air, the door to the academy closing behind me. I took a few more half-blinded steps, then blinked a few times to accustom my eyes to the sudden light.

When my eyes had cleared, I had to stare. It was so surreal. Every color was so vibrant, shining in the sun dazzlingly. There was a clear blue sky above my head, the ground covered in soft lush grass where there weren't any pale bleached cobblestones, under my feet. Said stones embedded in the ground created paths and walkways, as well as shallow stairs that lead down to lower levels of the town. Pale green moss crawled along the stones and up the walls of the few buildings. There weren't that many buildings and the ones that I could see were all done in the same rustic architecture.

…and it was so…fresh looking everywhere, so innocent. It was like a place out of a fairy tale. I looked around in awe. The atmosphere of relaxation stunned me. There was a gentle tantalizingly fresh breeze that stirred the occasional flower, leaves from the trees danced playfully. A few butterflies even were fluttering around in various areas.

I looked out further. But there was…nothing but blue sky and clouds below. It was like a field of clouds. I was a bit alarmed. How on earth…? Was Skyloft really above the clouds? In the sky?

"Welcome back to Skyoft, master. I will show you around when you are ready."

I tore my gaze from the endless expanse of clouds in the distance and then smiled at Fi.

"I'd love that."

/

"Link!" Someone called me over and I turned to see who it was when I was suddenly attacked with a hug. I stumbled a bit, but quickly regained my balance. I stood there, stunned at the unexpected action.

"Uh…" I couldn't really see much of the person, except for a bunch of bright blonde hair. I was on the plaza. Fi had shown me around the rest of Skyloft for the past twenty minutes or so. I had pretty much seen most of the floating village.

I was to meet my loftwing, whatever that might be exactly, and then this had happened. For the record, I had only talked to a few others. I had seen Henya, the cook at the knight academy, and then I had gone to the baazar to see Sparrot, the fortune-teller. The latter had made me a bit uncomfortable when he said that I was going to have to face an enemy and will have to resist temptation if I wish to succeed in my most recent task. What was that supposed to mean exactly?

I had a strange suspicion that he was talking about Ghirahim. But what kind of 'temptation' did he mean? It made my head hurt to think about it, so I instead focused on the girl who was hugging me.

I wrapped my arms around her tentatively, not quite sure exactly who I was hugging, but I soon found out when she pried her arms from me and I could breathe again.

Zelda. It had to be her. She was wearing a pink dress with a belt around her mid-section. She had on a pair of brown boots. Her hair was practically glowing in the sun. She was about the same height as me and was grinning hugely. The light breeze made her hair swirl around her face.

"Link, I'm so glad you're alright! You were gone for longer than you said and I was worried about you." She frowned a bit and I blinked a few times before answering.

"Oh…well, I just, um, needed some time alone, I guess." I said. I tugged at the corner of my tunic.

"Well, next time, tell me! I was beginning to worry that you'd gotten into trouble."

Trouble…if only she knew just how much…

I brushed off the dark thoughts and smiled at her. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"It's okay Link." Suddenly, she got a bit…embarrassed looking and she shuffled her feet a bit, not meeting my eyes. I didn't say anything and waited for her to.

"So…I was wondering…would you like to go flying with me? I've wanted to go with you for the past few days, but you were away…"

Was she…_asking me out?_ It sure sounded like that. I could read the body language, I could tell. No, no, no, no, no…this couldn't be happening. She was my sister. It was wrong. But wait…she wasn't my sister after all, though. Not here at least. Did that make it okay? And besides, she didn't know…

But no. I just couldn't do that. I couldn't. It would feel wrong because I knew. I knew that she was my sister in another world, and I wouldn't be able to easily forget that. Another thing was that I barely knew this Zelda. Not to exclude the notion that I had absolutely no idea what she meant by 'flying'. I tried not to look upset.

"Um…I mean…" I paused and then let my eyes drift to my feet. I examined the stones on the ground as though they were the most interesting thing I'd ever seen. Now that I thought about them, they really were pretty. Moss crawled over the tops of them and little blades of grass poked between them, shivering lightly as another light breath of wind ran over the plaza. The stones themselves were a chalky gray color, like bleached shells, and I found myself tracing the scratches that adorned their worn surfaces with my eyes. But that wasn't important, really.

I had to quickly think of something to say. I didn't know how to refuse in any way that would not hurt her feelings. I could feel my throat go dry. I swallowed uncomfortably.

"Link? I mean, you don't have to or anything, it's just that…" She trailed off. I could hear a slight hurtful tone in her voice. No. I couldn't hurt her either. Maybe I had once liked her back-before Ghirahim sent me to the other world.

I shuddered involuntarily. I could not lead her on. But I didn't know what our past relationship had been. Were we friends? Or something more? And if so, then how was I supposed to say no? If we had actually been going out, how on earth was I supposed to reject her? Zelda would be left very confused and hurt. I had apparently saved her from certain death pretty much, right? So I must have really cared for her…

I looked back up and met her bright blue eyes. They were shining in hope. "I…"

She smiled encouragingly and then I opened my mouth as if to speak more. No sound came out.

I blushed again. Unfortunately, Zelda took it as a good sign. She grinned.

"Link? So will you?" She said eagerly.

I looked at that smile. I couldn't refuse that smile. I couldn't. She was too…innocent for the rejection. Maybe when I get my memories back, I would be able to go through with this. After all, in this world, she wasn't related to me, so it shouldn't have been an issue. At the back of my mind was a nagging feeling, though. I would always know that she _could_ be my sister and I couldn't let this happen…but those hopeful eyes…

"Okay sure." I resigned and immediately kicked myself for it. How could I ever hope to have a relationship with her if I kept thinking of her like a sister? It would never feel right for me. It would feel like…incest. I found myself feeling mildly nauseous as the word passed through my already bursting mind.

I would just end up leaving this whole thing with regret, remorse. Zelda would feel even worse. But I had already foolishly agreed. There was no going back on this one.

"Really!?" She exclaimed, smiling jubilantly. I tried not to grimace. "This is great! So I'll meet you here after lunch, is that okay for you?"

I nodded. I didn't even know what I had gotten myself into. I had gone up a blind alley; nothing good could come out of this.

"Yeah, see you then." I said, forcing cheerfulness. Zelda was too happy to notice my forced smile and the pessimistic tone of my voice.

She hugged me again, and I made myself hug her back, before heading back the way she'd come. I could see her feet bounce when she walked. When she was a fair distance away, I groaned to myself and closed my eyes in exasperation. I didn't even want to go with her. It would feel wrong. I had never been in this sort of situation before. Girls had asked me out, but they had never been very close to me. Zelda was close to me. She was my sister in the other world. She was, from what I could infer, my best friend here.

"Master, I will teach you how to fly your loftwing now, if you feel okay. I can sense your anxiety, so I do not know if it is advisable to fly now. If you wish to take a break, that will be fine, too."

I opened my eyes and then saw Fi in front of me.

"If it's okay I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I think I'll go rest back at the academy."

"That's quite all right." She disappeared back into the sword and I sighed deeply before heading back to the academy. I dragged my feet the entire way, my wonder at exploring Skyoft dissipating with each step. I felt a bit anxious to speak truthfully. I was homesick now that I'd seen Zelda. I was lonely. Even Fi's constant presence didn't do anything to lessen my loneliness. There was nothing I could do. I'd have to go with Zelda…flying, which by the way was something I didn't even know how to do-rather _remember _how to do.

I didn't feel up to it now.

The walk to the academy took little time. I didn't take notice of the natural beauty of Skyloft, that which I had admired prior to the conversation with Zelda. I didn't know what had been the cause of my sudden lack of energy. I just knew that the incident concerning Zelda had triggered it.

When I got inside, I went straight to my room and closed the door, locking it behind me then taking off my scabbard and shield from my back. The hilt of the goddess sword glowed briefly as Fi emerged.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, Master?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. Like I said; I'm just kind of tired and it's been really hard to process all the sudden information."

"I understand. I will leave you to rest." With that, she vanished back into the sword. I picked up the sheath, with the sword in it, and the shield, and put them both at the wall near my bed. Then I closed the shutters and rubbed my eyes tiredly before lying down with my arms over my head. The room was dark now, and I felt fatigue coming over me again. It had been a long morning and my brain was overflowing with too much information.

The people I thought I knew…well, they weren't really the same. They thought they knew me, which they very well may have, but I didn't really feel like I knew them anymore. It was a complicated thing to explain. All in all, I felt drained, mentally.

I lay there on the bed; eyes closed, in the dark room, boots still on my feet for who knows how long. Time felt immaterial now. I wondered briefly when I should go out to meet Zelda. It had to be around time now. Perhaps there was a way to back out of it; say that I feel sick or something. I really didn't feel up to do anything for the rest of the day. Fi said that I could rest, so couldn't I take advantage of it? I desperately tried to sleep, but of course, the blissful ignorance that rode on the waves of unconsciousness did not wash over me. So I was left to lying in the darkness, plagued by the constant worries and doubts that circled fretfully in my mind.

A soft chuckle reached my ears and I froze, stopped breathing for a few seconds, lay completely motionless. What…? Zelda vanished from my thoughts along with anything else I had worried about. Alarm flooded my mind. A few moments of silence passed.

The temptation to open my eyes grew until I could barely stand it, so I opened them by a fraction. It was dark in the room, so I couldn't really see much. There didn't _seem _to be anything strange…but then what was that sound-that laugh? The same laugh that I thought I heard when I last fell asleep here? I had first thought it was just a figment of the imagination, but now, hearing that laugh _again, _told me otherwise.

My mind couldn't be playing tricks on me. No. I was fully aware of everything going on.

After a few more moments of tense silence, I decided that something had to be done. The air was thick with something that made me nervous, it was tangible anxiety, suffocating. I felt…like someone was…watching me.

My eyes suddenly snapped open and I jumped to my feet. '_Ghirahim_' was the first thought that came to mind. It had to be him. Who else could it possibly be? Call it a sixth sense or something, I just could tell that it was him. I had experienced this feeling every time in his presence; an uncomfortable twisting in my stomach, the feeling as though you are not alone, that some invisible gaze is boring into you. The way I'd imagine a mouse feels before a cat or a bird snatches it up.

I scanned the room, but didn't see anyone, occasionally mistaking the shadows as my unwanted company. However, the feeling hadn't left me. "Who's there?"

No answer; not that I really expected one.

I took a few steps into the middle of the room, caution permeating my body and making me tentative with each movement, as though something bad would be triggered if I moved too suddenly. I scanned the room for a second time. There was a part of me that considered me paranoid, but it the overwhelming sense of anxiety drowned it out. Someone was there and I needed to find them. And that person could only be Ghirahim.

Perhaps my memories were slowly returning, but I was beginning to get a liberal amount of suspicion towards the young man, or 'demon', as Fi had said to me. With great attentiveness, I took a careful step towards my sword. I considered summoning Fi, but I was afraid to shatter the quietness that saturated the air with disquiet. So I took another step, the sound of my steps was unheard.

I took one more step and went to bend down in the process of reaching for the hilt when something-no, correction, _someone_-yanked the back of my collar, effectively choking me and pulling me back. I didn't even have time to react as someone, probably Ghirahim, pinned me to the floor on my stomach, face pressed uncomfortably into the ground. It was all so sudden and fast that I didn't even have time to think.

I groaned in slight pain as my attacker yanked my hands behind my back and held them tightly together, making it much harder to struggle. Someone had just rendered my struggles futile.

"Get off!" I tried to yell, but my voice muffled as my head slammed into the ground even harder and something dug into my back forcefully.

"And why should I do that?" said my attacker. I felt the colour drain from my face at having my misgivings be proved right. It was Ghirahim. I'll confess that I had never really believed that he was a bad guy until now.

"What are you doing?" I hissed through gritted teeth. I heard him chuckle from behind me. He seemed to be sitting on my back, which explained the pressure on my back. It felt like a knee.

"What does it look like, sky child? I've come to fetch you."

I struggled underneath him some more and panted when I had tired myself out.

"See, you've been a bad student." Ghirahim said lazily, "I think I'll have to assign some more homework for you."

"Just get-off!" I breathed out loudly in frustration. What was this? Why was he in my room? Why had he basically attacked me? I needed answers. I still didn't completely understand what was going on. And I was not very comfortable to say the least. Everything had once again happened all too hurriedly for my liking.

"Oh, no, I'm afraid I can't do that yet, hero. I know you're not going to make any of this easy, so this is completely necessary. Boys like you should be dealt with strictly. Although, if you are willing to strike a deal with me…"He trailed off and I sighed.

"What is it then?" I muttered, irritated.

"Promise me that you won't cause any trouble while I go about my business. I don't have time for frivolous chatter, so I will make this quick if you're willing to be obedient."

"What are going to make quick?" I asked. I really had no idea what he was talking about, and I was getting progressively uncomfortable. My arms were becoming numb in the awkward angle they were being held at, and it was a bit hard to breathe in the position I was in. I didn't have time for "frivolous chatter" either. If he'd just let me up, then I'd be much more compliant.

"Well, I can either deal with you now, or we can do something else instead. If it's the premiere, then I will make it easy on you since you are unawares as to the trouble you've caused me in the past. Or, you can choose the latter option, and I assure you; it will not kill you." He let a short harsh laugh out after saying this and I frowned into the floor.

When he said 'deal with' did he mean 'dispose of', like Fi had told me? So I'd better choose the second option, since he said that it would not 'kill' me, in his words…but what was I even thinking? What was he going on about anyway? How could I trust him?

"I don't know what you're saying." I remarked stubbornly.

"Oh, yes you do, hero. You know exactly what I'm saying. I am asking you whether you want to get away with your life, or whether you'd prefer…certain death."

"What do you think?!" I snapped. "Now get off of me!"

He dug his knee hard into my back and I choked slightly.

"Sky child…you don't know who you're up against…" Ghirahim said silkily. His voice sounded louder and I felt a breath tickle my ears. I shivered. Warm breath washed over the back of my neck and the tip of my right ear again. I saw a few strands of silky white hair in my peripheral vision.

"Either you stay out of my way-which, I'll repeat; you'll most likely live-or…" He paused ominously and I waited with bated breath. "…or you be the defiant little _brat _that I know you are…and…perhaps _not _live."

So…what Fi had told me was true. I felt a sinking in my stomach. Dread. If he really was creating an army in the…demon realm…then that meant that people would expect me to stop him. And he was going to see to that.

I didn't know how he had found me, either. How he had known that I was in this world as opposed to the other one was beyond me. But either way…I couldn't let his get away with re-resurrecting his master or anything of the like. Fi said that I was supposed to stop him before the three-month time limit was up. Ghirahim was apparently going to raid the surface after that time. And Demise-I think that was his name-was going to be brought back…because Ghirahim was never supposed to still be living after I allegedly killed Demise. Basically, if I let Ghirahim get away with whatever he was planning, then it would be bad. So I couldn't go quietly, because everyone was relying on me, whether they knew it or not-because Fi, Hylia, obviously Ghirahim, and I were the only people who knew that the demon lord, aka, my "English teacher" was still among the living…

Argh! It made my head hurt so much to think about it.

I didn't respond to his comment and instead began to struggle again. He made a light growling sound in his throat out of irritation.

"Is this really your choice, sky child? Do you really want to make it difficult for yourself? I can't guarantee your life, my tragic hero…"

"I'm not your "tragic hero" or anything! Just get off!" I raised my voice and he immediately froze.

Ahhh…so he didn't want anyone else to know about our encounter…I could use this to my advantage…

I opened my mouth again to call out loudly, in the hopes that someone else would hear.

"You wretched brat!" He suddenly forced my head into the ground when he realized my plan, and a piece of cloth was tightly wrapped around my mouth.

I groaned in frustration as I was effectively gagged. He was way too fast for me to keep up with. His mind was moving quicker than mine at the moment.

"Ah, that's much better…now…will you be an obedient sky child, or will you continue to put up a fight?"

'Enough of these games!' I wanted to snap at him, but I couldn't say anything with the gag around my mouth.

So I just kept struggling beneath him.

"Well, if that's how you want to be." His head moved from near my face and then I felt him move off of me. I mentally sighed in relief when he let go of my arms.

But my relief was short-lived when he yanked me to my feet by the hair, having released my arms. I cried out in pain as he ripped strands of hair from my head, and then threw me onto the bed. It throbbed where he had gripped my hair and I clutched my head in pain. Tears sprung to my eyes, but I blinked them away. I ended up landing on my stomach.

"It's not too late to obey me, Link." He commented, however, I didn't respond, since I couldn't with the gag over my mouth. I was about to untie it when a snap resonated through the room, and I felt something wrap around both my wrists above my head.

"Ngh!" I fought against the rope that was tying around my wrists, but soon my wrists were bound together.

I managed to move onto my back and I looked around the room to find Ghirahim. I saw him immediately in the dim light and was about to glare at him when I stopped. He was wearing the strangest clothes…not saying that mine weren't strange, but he was really in the oddest of get-ups. He had a weird red cape thing and under that was a white body suit with many diamonds cut out of it, revealing ample amount of skin. On his arms and hands was a pair of matching white gloves. High on his right arm was a golden armband. On his slim waist was a gold sash/ belt thing that had a diamond on its side.

His curtain of white hair was still the same, and the blue diamond earring hanging from his pointy right ear was also exactly the same. Not to mention that confident smirk that continued to stay on his lips. I could see the glimmer of his dark eyes as he watched me in amusement.

I scrutinized him for a few moments before I remembered my predicament, and I began to writhe around again. The bonds around my wrists tightened and then fixated them to something near the headboard of my bed. Soon the bonds successfully trapped me on the bed. My energy was waning and I knew that fighting at this point was futile, so I stopped for a minute to catch my breath.

I looked back up at my adversary. He was definitely not a teacher. He had lied. Ghirahim cocked his head at me; staring at me like he had in school only a day ago, it seemed.

"I'll give you one more chance…do you honestly wish to oppose me?"

I growled in my throat. I wasn't going to just give up. He couldn't win this. I felt more defiance running through my veins.

Suddenly he smirked in a superior way. I shivered.

"Fine…but don't say I didn't warn you."

**A/N: Oooh Link doesn't know what he's gotten himself into...**

**Whelp...I haven't started Chapter 8 yet, and I have exams this week and the next, so it might take a little while to post. It all depends on how much time I have. There's going to be some Ghirahim/Link action in chapter 8, and I'm going to try to make it good! XD**

**Please leave a review for me! :D**


	8. Tempt

**A/N: Whelp, it turns out that I have too much free time on my hands...**

**Before you read, know that this chapter is RATED M for some violence, but mainly for some descriptive SEXUAL CONTENT with implied themes. You have been warned! :D**

**And thanks for the supportive, kind reviews! I love reading them so much! Also, thank you anyone who followed or favorited this story!**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Enjoy this chapter! It's really longgggg. And as promised: I wrote Ghirahim/Link stuff! :)**

**/**

I breathed out hard as I resumed my struggling. I kept Ghirahim in my field of vision the whole time. He had a strange look on his face that I couldn't quite place. He licked his lips in a disturbing way and then walked towards the bed. I shot a glare at him as he came nearer.

When the writhing had pretty much depleted my energy momentarily, I stopped and collapsed on the bed, having had no success against the ropes tying my wrists together above my head. They remained as taut as ever and I was beginning to worry. But other emotions were running through my head as well.

I was mostly angry that he had come so soon. Not one full day in Skyloft, and he had to come. I didn't even have all my memories back yet. I didn't even get to any self-defence training.

Whatever Ghirahim was going to do to me couldn't be good, and what made matters worse was that I knew there was nothing I could do to stop him. I breathed heavily through my nose. There was no possible way that I could talk with the piece of cloth gagging me, so I continued to glare at him.

Unfazed by the deadly looks directing at him, Ghirahim walked up to the bed and sat down on the edge. The small-sized bed dipped slightly and I moved myself as close as I could to the wall to my right hand side-away from him.

He licked his lips again and then raised his hand. In a cascade of diamonds, a slim object appeared. The room was still dim, so I couldn't really see what it was for a few moments. When I did, I almost wished that I hadn't made out its details. It was a sword; a thin, deadly blade that curved to a sharp point. It glinted in the faint light that somehow managed to pierce between the cracks in the shutters.

In one swift motion, he brought the blade to my throat and held it there. A suffocating quiet fell over the two of us as he held the blade motionless. I could feel the cool metal against my neck and I found my heart speeding up as fear spiked my senses.

Ghirahim was the first to shatter the silence. He spoke in a voice that dripped with poison.

"If you dare struggle or make any loud noises, I will not hesitate to slit your throat and spill your precious crimson blood onto the sheets."

I felt my breath hitch. He really was a demon after all. I was having a bit of a hard time accepting that the teacher that had entered my class and introduced himself as an English teacher was really like this…it had been all an act-the teacher thing…this was who he really was. It was also strangely hard to accept that I was really in a life or death situation, even with a blade pressed to my neck.

"Yes, that's a good pet." He cooed softly to me, when I made no immediate move to struggle, "I always knew you could be obedient…"

I wanted to lash out at him, but I didn't, because I knew it would only make things worse.

"But those eyes, they tell a different story, now don't they? Ah, well, pets have to be trained and sometimes the only way to get them to completely obey you with unwavering loyalty is through punishment."

Without another word, he moved his other hand to my face, where he began to caress my cheek gently. I shuddered, but didn't dare move for fear that he'd cut me.

"Such innocence…" Ghirahim moved his face closer until I could feel strands of his silky white hair brushing my face. "I would love to taste you, sky child..."

He moved closer until I could only see his face and nothing else. I felt the blade move from my throat and instead prick through my tunic and chainmail to the place where my heart was. It stayed there just in case I moved or tried to push him away, a constant threat.

My breathing began to get ragged as he leaned in closer and then the gag vanished. I gasped when I felt it disappear. I didn't say anything, though. There was nothing I could say that would alter my predicament in any positive way. So I remained lying there, arms tied above my head, Ghirahim leaning in near my face. His warm breath washed over me.

Suddenly, his serpentine tongue flicked out and ran across my bottom lip.

"What are y-"I began, but suddenly his lips met mine and my eyes widened in alarm. What the heck was he doing!? This was completely wrong, not to mention gross! He pressed the blade harder into my chest and I gasped as it threatened to break my skin. He took the opportunity to invade my mouth with that long demonic tongue of his. It was wet and slimy in my mouth and I felt myself go light-headed as I began to crave air. I couldn't get enough oxygen in through my nose and he wasn't giving me a chance to breathe.

When my eyes started to slide shut, Ghirahim pulled away, a string of saliva connecting our mouths. I breathed in heavily until I felt a bit more normal, and I met Ghirahim's hungry gaze with an exhausted glare of my own. I had basically had my first real kiss with…this demon. It disgusted me. He had taken my first real legitimate kiss.

"If only you knew how delicious you tasted, sky child." He said huskily. "I was going to torture you, beat you within an inch of your life…but the more I think about it, the more appealing other notions are. I think I'll keep you alive so you can be my pet. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"No-"I started, but again, his lips forcefully crashed into mine, still wet from the last brief kiss. I was traumatized to say the least. I felt his tongue on my lips, wanting access to the inner caverns of my mouth, and I immediately grit my teeth together, but he pressed the blade deeper and I knew then, that it had pierced my skin. I gasped again out of pain, and his mouth hungrily worked on mine. My body began to heat up in a weird way and I didn't know why I was reacting like this when my mind resented what was happening to me. He gripped my face in the hand that didn't hold the sword and forced it up to meet his. I gasped as he brushed his mouth over mine again, before going back to the rough kisses.

Ghirahim's pale lips sucked roughly on mine, and I felt him probe the insides of my mouth with his tongue. It slid further down my throat and I gagged slightly as it went a bit too far. I felt him smile as he continued to press his lips into mine, lighter this time. I blinked rapidly to try to clear my head, but melted into his desire. I didn't want this. I would have preferred to spend my afternoon with Zelda and have to go flying with her, than be condemned to this violation of my mouth.

I tried to block out what he was doing to me and closed my eyes, tried to imagine that I was somewhere else, not tied to a bed and being kissed…but I couldn't.

Saliva was all over my mouth, and I found myself unwillingly becoming flustered, unfocused. Ghirahim was enjoying himself, which made it all worse. Maybe if I called Fi, then she could do something about my situation.

The idea barely lasted for a second when sudden pain ripped through my body.

My eyes flew open and I made a strangled sound in the back of my throat. Ghirahim backed away from me, but the pain continued to set my body on fire and I began to convulse and curl into myself. It originated from my chest, so I assumed that it was the sword.

I looked down frantically and saw that the blade was cutting through my tunic and was somehow ripping the chainmail. It pressed down so hard that it was cutting into my skin as well as all the other layers of clothes.

"St-stop!" I moaned in pain as Ghirahim continued to drag the blade down my body, slowly, sadistically. It felt as though I was on fire. It was unimaginable-I had never been hurt like this before, this was pure torture.

"What was that, sky child? What did you say?" Ghirahim smiled at me, the blade still ripping through the delicate skin. I clenched and unclenched my hands where they were bound.

"I said stop! And y-you know th-that!' I gasped out, trying to glare, but failing miserably.

"Stop what?"

"Stop pl-please!" I choked out. He didn't deserve my manners, but at least it got him to stop what he was doing. I lay there, panting and recovering from the injury he had inflicted upon me out of the blue. I didn't even want to check on it. No doubt it was bleeding everywhere. Blood made me nauseous. I closed my eyes again and caught my breath, trying to ignore the pain that was numbing my chest.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Ghirahim swiping his tongue over the blade. He laughed cruelly and gave me a satisfied smile. "You're blood…it's so delectably addicting."

"Why are you doing this to me?" I asked him, trying to ignore his previous comment. My breath came out ragged and exhausted. "Why did you have to cut me?"

"Because you refuse to be an obedient child. I can tell that you are still going to be stubbornly foolish." He replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And also because I craved your blood."

A low growl came from my throat. I turned my head and wiped off my lips on the shoulder of my tunic. My hands were going numb at this point, and I realized that I still had my gauntlets on, which only helped in cutting off my circulation.

I snapped my head back to look at Ghirahim again. I didn't dare keep him out of my sight for more than a few seconds, lest he try something. He smirked at me, eyes never leaving my face. I felt a hand on my leg and jerked back immediately.

"Don't touch me!" I hissed.

"That's not your call, hero. I can do whatever I like, and right now I'm going to be kind to you. I've wanted you for too long."

"Yeah right you're going to be 'kind'. Just what exactly is your definition of the word?" I said sarcastically. He paid my comment no heed and continued.

"You can either be tortured mercilessly," Ghirahim brandished the blade for me to see. I could see a thin trail of blood run down it, and my sarcasm vanished. No, I couldn't let him do that…I was horrible with pain. I couldn't handle pain…"or, I can make you feel the most desirable carnal pleasures you have ever experienced. I would hate to ruin that beautiful flesh with my blade, for I want my pet to be unsoiled...but it might come to that. I crave both your blood, and your body..."

I felt the color drain from my face. He was sick. That was already established. He was sadistic: that, too, was already made quite clear. But would he really do something as sick as _that?_ As sick as what he was implying he'd do? I didn't even want to imagine it.

"_Why?!"_ I asked in shock. He licked his lips.

"That beautiful thread of fate is pulling us together, so why fight it?"

I didn't know how to respond, so I paused. Ghirahim took the opportunity to speak again. "I await your decision."

I scowled, but then winced as he suddenly scraped his fingernails over the cut. He pulled his hands back, blood dripping from the tips of his fingers, staining his gloves red. I breathed out heavily as the pain subsided slightly. But I still had other things to worry about, namely Ghirahim's unfair choice. Perhaps I could just lie that I won't get in his way. That could work. It was worth a shot anyway.

"So, which do you choose, Link? I know what I want, but I'll give you some leverage." He gave me a smile and I grimaced.

"I won't get in your way and won't try to stop you from whatever you do instead." I said quickly.

"Oh, no you don't sky child. You've already made your decision. It's too late to go back on it. You have already piqued my craving for bloodshed, namely yours…but the second option will satisfy my huger sufficiently, too. Right now, your current position practically begs the second choice."

No. This couldn't be happening. I refused to acknowledge it. He wouldn't-scratch that-he _couldn't _possibly condemn me to that kind of punishment. Besides, I hadn't even done anything yet. Nothing that would interfere in whatever great plans he had, from what I was aware of_. _But what made me think again was the voice in my head that said that he would, and he could very well do anything he wanted with me right now. I was defenseless. I couldn't do anything to stop him. I was technically his for the taking. I felt utterly terrified.

"Made your decision yet, sky child? I've given you a taste for both. I have been pretty clear on which I crave right now." His eyes ran down my body, but quickly returned to my face.

I didn't answer. I wasn't going to choose either. I wasn't going to play his game no matter what. He would have to choose himself because I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of my response. It was surprising how quickly things had taken a turn for the worse. One moment, I was upset about leading Zelda on, the next minute, I was tied to my bed and being asked whether I preferred torture or possible rape. It was not an ideal situation.

Ghirahim sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. "If you're going to continue being so stubborn, then I suppose I get to choose for you…"

He made a big show of thinking, stroking his chin thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side. I pursed my lips. Ghirahim eyed me suggestively, looking down my body, gaze resting on _that _area for a second longer than was comfortable. My eyes immediately widened. No. He wasn't seriously considering...to, you know…do _that_ to me. Right? Then again…did I really want to be tortured?

Wait…what was I saying?! I didn't want to lose my virginity! Let alone to the guy-no demon-who was essentially planning total world domination and had pretended to be my English teacher!

This could not be happening. Maybe I really should have chosen...but no. I couldn't take pain either. Why the heck did I have to act so stubborn?

"It's your lucky day, sky child." Ghirahim finally said, his voice dropping to an alluring murmur. I grit my teeth, almost hoping that he wouldn't finish that thought. But he did. "I've taken quite the liking to you, and I think we need to…get to know each other a bit better. More intimately, should I say? You're so delectable...You tempt me too much."

I opened my mouth, as if to say something. "I-"

I cut myself off and stopped there. There was nothing left to say. He was going to rape me. The thought didn't seem to want to register in my head. This was all just a game to him. He was doing this because he knew it would get to me. He knew that it would traumatize me for life; him being the first to touch me like that. I was angry at myself for letting this happen.

"Don't look so frightened, hero." Ghirahim said when looking at my shocked expression. I immediately tried not to look so freaked out and hardened my eyes so I was glaring at him again. He smirked. "I promise I'll make it enjoyable for you. I confess that I've wanted to do this with you ever since we first met."

Dropping my glare, I closed my eyes and breathed in and out deeply through my nose and mouth. Was there anything I could do to stop this? Anything at all?!

"I choose option one!" I blurted out, but Ghirahim was shaking his head.

"I gave you the liberty of choice, and you didn't appreciate it, so I decided for you. Should have thought of that earlier, hero."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and both Ghirahim and I froze. My eyes flew open and I looked at the door. Ghirahim looked back at me and raised his pale, almost non-existent eyebrows. I didn't meet his eyes and continued staring at the door opposite my bed.

"Link? Are you in there?" A voice called out, slightly muffled. I stiffened; it was Zelda. I would know her voice anywhere.

My heart raced in anxiety and I tried to answer, but no words came. This was happening a lot recently; where I couldn't bring myself to speak.

"Aren't you going to answer, hero? I think it's the spirit maiden." Ghirahim said, quiet enough that only I could hear. I looked up at him and then back at the door, unsure of what to do.

"Link?" She called again. "Did you still want to go flying with me?"

My mouth went dry and silence passed before I found my voice.

"Zel-da?" I said, my voice cracking out of sheer nerves. I swallowed dryly and tried again. "Zelda?"

"Oh! Link! You are there! I was beginning to wonder whether I was talking to an empty room or not! So you up for some flying?" She asked excitedly. I knew she was grinning even though I couldn't see her.

I winced. She sounded so happy. I couldn't very well get up to let her in either, since I was tied by my arms to the bed, not to mention Ghirahim being there. I couldn't even get up to answer the door for Farore's sake! And I didn't want her to walk in on this. I was kind of glad that the door was locked, yet at the same time, I needed some way to escape.

"Uh…well…" I began, feeling my insides churn uncomfortably. What was I supposed to say? I took a breath in through my nose, thinking…I decided then and there that I couldn't go. Ghirahim would completely freak and would probably kill her or something. "I'm really sorry, but I don't feel-"

Ghirahim suddenly slashed the blade across my midriff, creating a shallow cut, enough to hurt, but not as deep as the other one. I groaned lightly and assumed the fetal position, wanting badly to clutch at my knees and huddle up on a ball, but not able to with my hands still tied above my head.

"Link? What is it? Are you okay!?" Zelda suddenly asked, sounding concerned. I could feel new blood soaking into my clothes. I was having a hard time breathing now because I was shaking uncontrollably due to the injuries I sustained.

"Ngh…I'm f-fine…I just don't feel th-that great…I think I'm getting sick." I managed to get out, "I'm really s-sorry. Maybe some other time."

"Link, are you sure you're okay? You sound like you're in pain."

"No, no. I'm f-fine." I insisted.

"Honestly, Link? Will you let me come in? You were fine this morning."

I swallowed before answering. "No, really Zelda. I'll be fine. I have a stomach ache."

I managed not to stutter and took a few deep breaths. Ghirahim was smirking and watching me in amusement again. He swiped his tongue across the blade of his sword once more. I could hear Zelda sigh from the other side of the door and I furrowed my brow. I felt horrible, both as a person, and physically.

"If you're sure…then I hope you feel better soon, Link...I`ll check up on you later." I heard her retreating footsteps and started to relax when I remembered that Ghirahim was still there. My gaze snapped back to him.

"What the hell was that for?" I said, before a spasm went through my body and I convulsed.

"Oh, I just thought you should sound more convincing." Ghirahim drawled.

I responded with the glare that was quickly becoming my favorite facial expression.

"Well, now that that's out-of-the-way…" He said, dragging out each syllable and purposefully irking me as he ignored my glare completely. I knew what was coming and there was nothing I could do about it. Fi couldn't help. She didn't know that I was in trouble. What made matters worse, was that I couldn't very well call her for help because Ghirahim would get angry and would probably murder me right here, and besides, what could Fi do anyway?

I had come to an impasse. A dead end. The only outcome was…this.

"So, hero," He sneered at me, reaching out to run a finger down my face. I shuddered under his touch. "You were planning a little outing with the spirit maiden? How sweet."

I could hear the mockery in his words and I hardened my gaze.

"I didn't know that you were into incest."

"I'm not!" I hissed "And besides, she's not my sister here!"

"Yes, I'm quite aware of the fact, however, wouldn`t _you _feel uncomfortable, knowing that she could be? Ah, but I'm getting sidetracked, aren't I? So, where were we?"

I stubbornly didn't answer, which made Ghirahim raise his eyebrows alluringly and I gulped. Without warning, his cape thing vanished, leaving him wearing that tight, scanty outfit. My heart began to thump crazily as the reality hit me again, but more forcefully.

Ghirahim smiled and then reached for my face, leaning in. The sword disintegrated in a bunch of diamonds and I felt only slightly better, but I knew that he could easily get it back with a snap of his fingers.

He came close to my face, moving his body to straddle me and then he began to massage my shoulders with his hands. I closed my eyes to avoid facing the reality. He began to run his fingers through my hair now. My hat was removed and tossed carelessly over his shoulder, where it landed a few feet away on the floor.

But I couldn't ignore it when his lips met mine. I gasped in shock and horror as his long tongue started to probe around in my mouth, forcing my tongue to move with his. Once again, my body started to heat up in a weird way and he growled lightly in his throat, hungrily sucking at my lips like he wanted to eat me. My heart thumped even harder in my chest as his hands began to wander. They tore at my clothes eagerly.

"I want you to moan for me, sky child..." He purred, lips lightly brushing mine. His warm breath washed over my lips and I shuddered at the feeling. It sent tingling down through my whole body.

I focused on my breathing. I tried to stay calm.

Soon, my tunic, my chainmail and the bloodied undershirt were ripped from my body, leaving my top half unclothed. I could feel the two cuts more prominently now that they were exposed to the air. Ghirahim's mouth left mine as I turned my head away, so instead, he gripped my hips as he started to lick across my jaw. I could do nothing as he applied kisses and the occasional nip to my neck and then down my bare chest. Every time he bit at the skin, I gasped and felt myself go hot. My body was humming in a weird way, everything felt alive.

"I told you that you'd like this? Didn't I, sky child?" Ghirahim whispered sensually to me. "I know _I'm_ enjoying this."

I groaned lightly as he blew on the trails of saliva that were now running down my chest. It sent electric currents through my body and I shivered. Why did he have to do this to me? This was so wrong…

Suddenly, he placed his mouth around one of my nipples and sucked at it. I moaned quietly and kicked myself for it. Why did this have to be happening? He sucked again and swirled his tongue around the nub, making me heat up even more. I could feel blood rush to my crotch and groaned as his body rubbed against it. Ghirahim took his other hand and started fondling the other nipple; lightly pinching it and making me squirm. I didn't know why I was reacting so strongly.

My thoughts began to get jumbled as he continued his ministrations. He suddenly grinded his body against mine and my eyes flew open. Just seeing him there, on my body made me wish I had kept my eyes closed.

Ghirahim grinded against me again and I moaned loudly. He continued to do this, and I caught myself gyrating up against him until I stopped myself. What was I doing!? What would Fi think? What would Zelda think?!

I tried to move away from him. "Stop it…" I moaned, trying to get a hold of myself again. He didn't listen, obviously, and continued to roll his hips against me. I began to squirm as hot pleasure ran through my veins, making me sweat and pant.

But then he stopped and leaned back from me, smiling. He chuckled lightly, "You're such a delicious one, sky child. I can barely keep myself from devouring you right this instant. But I'm going to take my time so that you can remember this moment."

"You're so sick!" I panted at him, still overwhelmed from the attention earlier. I could feel an uncomfortable, unresolved tightness in my groin and I felt shocked that Ghirahim had been the one to cause this. He was my enemy! How was if possible to get aroused by your enemy? His gaze landed on the bulge in my pants and he swiped his tongue over his lips. I blushed furiously and turned my head away from him. This was beyond embarrassing.

"If I'm sick, then you must be too. Just look at how you're reacting to all this. There's no denying you like it. I know I do. I've wanted this for too long. Your body is more tantalizing than I ever imagined." Ghirahim`s honeyed drawl made dread floor my mind.

I closed my eyes in shame. He was right in some ways. My body sure liked what he was doing. But my mind was completely traumatized. He winked flirtatiously at me and then, without my consent-not that any of this was with my consent anyways-he swiftly yanked my boots off and then pulled my pants down to my ankles before tossing them away too. The boots hit the floor with a thump.

That was it. I was completely naked. He could see everything. I wished desperately that this was just a nightmare, but I knew that it wasn't, so I began to writhe around and kick. Boy did that make him mad. Ghirahim glowered down at me and immediately conjured his blade from thin air. He wasted no time in bringing it to my throat. I froze.

"If you keep being so difficult, then I will not hesitate to kill you. Is that understood? I thought I made that clear enough. I don't want to, for I'd like to have you as a pet, but don't think that will stop me." His eyes glittered dangerously and I defiantly met his intense look. My mind was in turmoil. I couldn't let this happen, yet at the same time, it was the only way that I would possibly make it out of here alive. He pursed his lips and then got rid of the blade again and smacked me in the face so suddenly that I didn't even react. I was too upset at the fact that I was clearly naked and he was on top of me. The pain came slightly delayed and I wanted to hold my face, but again, I remembered that I was tied up. My hands were stuck awkwardly above my head, tied to the bedpost, or something.

"Learn your place, boy." He hissed. My face burned from the hard smack and I winced, but didn't make any more noise that would further provoke him.

Then it was back to the violations. I stared at the ceiling of the room, breathing heavily as he touched every inch of me with his hands. They kneaded into my skin and bruised me. Those hands pinched and caressed and rubbed. My skin tingled in a tantalizing way that made me want to press my body up into his touches, but at the same time, I was completely disgusted at him. I didn't know how something so wrong could feel so good. Why did every touch send me into ecstasy? How could he do this to me? It was all so sudden, too. But then again, when was sexual abuse ever planned for the victim? I was so humiliated and embarrassed. I didn't want anyone to see me like this.

His hands rubbed up my chest and then up to my neck, curling around where my ribs were, and then going back down again. I felt the occasional wisps of hair tickle my bare upper half and I shivered. This wasn't that bad...he wasn't really _doing_ anything quite yet. It only hurt when he ran his fingers over the cuts...but besides that, I found myself enjoying it, which made me horrified.

...But then those hands went a bit too low for my liking, quite unexpectedly.

"What are you doing!?" I exclaimed, gasping. He smiled at me and then wrapped his hand around the shaft of my arousal, starting to stroke deeply. The effect was immediate. I couldn't control myself as I fell into a state of lust. I tried to keep my lips sealed as he continued to touch me, but I couldn't. His strokes began to quicken and I moaned deep in my throat, out of control, as I was going higher and higher.

It was getting very hot, every touch drowning me in waves of pleasure. It got even hotter when he bent over my chest and placed his soft lips onto mine again. I turned my head, not wanting to have his mouth on mine. But he didn't mind, because he, instead, licked at my skin on my jaw, and then to my ear. He teasingly tugged at the earring with his teeth and I shivered, making him hum in delight.

"Stop!" I choked out as his tongue ran up the edge of my ear, all the way to the tip. I felt my face go red, all the way to the tips of my still-damp ears. He moved his mouth away and then placed another wet kiss on my lips before backing up a bit. I felt momentary relief at the wider gap between us, but his hand still stroked my member.

His hands stroked again and again and again, and soon I couldn't take it anymore and I started to thrust into his hands. Panting heavily, I leaned my head back, eye lids sliding shut. Ghirahim's touch felt so good, but I resented him. Why did this have to-

"Oh goddess!" I suddenly exclaimed as I felt warmth envelope my arousal. I jerked my head forward and saw his mouth on my member as he sucked. I threw my head back again and moaned louder than I had before. This was too much, way too much. I was spiraling higher and higher with every moment. The pleasure that I was succumbing to was overwhelming. I had never felt this good before…What was this feeling called? I didn't even know how to describe it.

"Ah!" I gasped as he started to deep throat me, moving his hands up and down my sides before grasping at my hips. Ghirahim bobbed his head up and down over my member, inflicting hard, fast sucks. This was too much...I needed it faster...

Hardly even aware of what was going on anymore, I felt myself thrust into his warm mouth, again and again. The waves of sweet desire washed over me again and I moaned with every suck he gave me. This was madness.

I was panting very heavily now, not even in control of my body anymore. Ghirahim tightened his lips around my member and I grit my teeth to avoid moaning out again. I could feel his long tongue playing with the shaft, licking intimately and deeply and I knew that I was going to come soon. I needed release. I also needed to keep quiet. But when he toyed with the tip of my arousal, I just couldn't stop the moan from escaping my lips. He played with the tip some more and every time, I whined loudly. I only wished that there was nobody else in the adjacent room. Nobody could know about this. What's more was that I never knew I could make such sounds. It was very uncharacteristic of me...

"Oh!" I gasped. He slid his lips over my manhood again, which was slick and wet with his saliva and my pre-cum, and sighed over my arousal before humming in delight. It made vibrations run through my body and I moaned even louder. I was so close…so close to release. I needed it, and at this point, I didn't care if he was the one to give it to me. I was almost there.

I desperately thrust into his mouth again and I felt my cock hit the end of his throat. But he didn't gag or anything, and continued to suck and run his tongue along the shaft before flicking over the tip sensually. This was it. It was so hot in the room, so hot... and I was going to release. I could feel a building in my lower abdomen, growing, and growing. I was getting higher and higher, closer to that pinnacle where it would all be over. So close…

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back in ecstasy as he tended to my groin, making me arch my back and fall into pleasurable fits and spasms. His mouth was very hot and I panted heavily, nearing release.

He sucked one last time and I arched off of the bed as the pleasure washed over me in droves. I cried out as I released into the back of Ghirahim's throat.

I felt my body twitch and squirm as the orgasm rode over me, and I released the last of the liquid. I gasped and clenched my bound hands into fists.

As the last of the orgasm passed, I slumped onto the bed and lay there, panting, gasping for air. I felt Ghirahim's mouth slip off of my sensitive member and I closed my eyes in exhaustion. I felt my face flush in embarrassment and shame. I would never live this down. He was the first to touch me like this, and I would remember it forever. I would always know that he had violated me and touched me…I felt myself getting nauseous. There was nothing I could do about it now, though. He had done it. There was no turning back.

"That was quite fun, now, wasn't it?" I heard Ghirahim say in a gleeful lilt. "We should spend more time together in the future."

I kept my eyes firmly shut. I didn't want to see any evidence of what had just happened. "Just leave me alone."

He laughed, "Oh, no, I'm not quite done here. There's so much more that we can do together! You know you enjoyed that. Perhaps even more than myself judging by all those wonderful sounds you were making."

I shifted in the bed and then opened my eyes. He brushed some of his white hair out of his eyes and then laughed again, but more sinisterly. I pursed my lips.

"Are you going to go now? Are you done with me?" I demanded, but I couldn't imagine I looked in the lease bit intimidating. I was covered in a sheen of sweat, naked still. Ghirahim swiped his tongue over his white lips, a trail of cum dripped from his lips and he raised his eye brows flirtatiously. I met his sultry one with a hard glare of my own. "Or are you going to rape me now?"

"As much as I want to be in you, sky child..." He said lusciously. My breath hitched at his choice of words. "I am afraid that I have other matters to attend to. The rest of our fun will have to wait. I am a very busy demon, you know."

"Yeah, right you are! The only thing you can do to keep yourself occupied is to come and molest me!" I retorted.

Immediately, his eyes narrowed and I almost regretted what I said, but at the same time, I was deriving satisfaction from provoking him like this.

"Watch it, hero. You're out of line." I smirked at him, but then he swiftly brought his fist to my face wiping the expression from my face quite literally. I groaned and curled up into myself as his fist made contact with my nose. It had been unexpected, so I hadn't even had time to move out of the way of his fist. White flashes of pain obscured my vision for a few seconds after.

That was surely going to bruise. Blood started streaming out of my nose and I could do nothing to stop the blood. I groaned in pain and shifted again on the bed. It was so painful...so painful.

"You should be careful what you say, because next time, I'll do more than just beat you senseless. I'll make the affair so excruciating that you'll deafen yourself with the shrill sound of your own screams."

I froze from my writhing and looked up at him, ignoring the blinding pain that was originating from my bleeding nose.

"What did you just say?" I said quietly. I furrowed my brow and then turned my head into my shoulder, in the hopes that my shoulder could somehow stop the blood flow. Instead, it only succeeded in dirtying my arm. I turned back to Ghirahim. "What did you say?" I asked again, a bit louder.

He blinked slowly at me. "Did my words trigger...a _memory_, perhaps? A deja vu? Hmm?"

I looked away. Where did I hear those words? Suddenly, an image flashed in my head. A bridge, the sweltering heat, and the sun, Ghirahim...a harp...Zelda. And someone else that I couldn't place...a violet glowing wheel-like contraption...I blinked a few times to clear the image from my mind and looked back at my adversary. He looked satisfied.

"I guess the little hero really is in there somewhere." He mocked.

"Wha-"

"Well, I suppose I'll be going." Ghirahim swiftly cut me off and I opened my mouth again, but he wasn't done. "I think I'll be seeing you again quite soon, my delicious sky child. I quite look forward to the affair."

He stood up smoothly and snapped his fingers. The ropes tying my hands disappeared and I flexed my fingers to get feeling running through them again. Blood flowed through each digit and soon both hands were tingling with numbness. I looked back at Ghirahim, who was standing in the center of the room. I wanted to attack him-or-or do _something, _but I didn't have the energy, nor did I remember how to use the sword yet.

Ghirahim raised his hand, poised to snap his long, pale fingers again. I knew he was planning on leaving, but I had never gotten my questions answered.

"Wait!" I blurted out. I was sitting on the bed still, now propped up on my elbows. Trickles of blood ran over my mouth and I lifted a hand to my face. My nose was numb with pain. Ghirahim looked unhappy and the corner of his lips twitched in irritation at the outburst. He lowered his hand and placed it on his hip.

"What is it now?"

I looked at him curiously. "Can I ask you something?"

He narrowed his eyes at me sarcastically. "You just did, sky child."

"You know what I mean." I snapped through gritted teeth, annoyed at his cheekiness.

He rolled his eyes. "What else do you want to know?"

"How are you still alive and what happened to you after the battle I fought Demise in?"

A flash of mild surprise went over his face, but it vanished a second later. "Why, my master let me teleport away while in my sword form, when he knew he had lost. I went back to the demon realm and did some research before returning to the surface. Then, I recall seeing you, and I got rid of you-momentarily, but still quite effectively. The little brave hero couldn't handle the magic I used, and lost his precious memories."

A low hiss went through my teeth, and Ghirahim smirked.

"I was going to leave you in the changed world, but-"

"The changed world?" I interrupted. I furrowed my brow. Ghirahim shot me a glare.

"Yes...the _changed world." _He said the words slowly, enunciating it carefully, and I rolled my eyes, but continued listening. Ghirahim flashed a smile, and then came back to the bed. He sat down on the edge and without warning, the ropes returned, tying my wrists together once more. I growled as they fixated themselves to the head board. Unlike last time, more ropes slithered onto the bed, this time near my feet. I kicked in protest.

"Hey! What're you-"

I squirmed as they reached for my ankles, but I lost the battle. The ropes tied around each ankle and then spread apart, fixating themselves to opposite edges of the bed quickly. My legs were left wide open, and I blushed furiously, trying to hide my parts from Ghirahim's view, but my movements were greatly restricted.

"What was that all about?!" I snapped at him after the sudden incident. Ghirahim gave me a sly look, and placed a hand on my thigh, rubbing up and down my left leg. It sent tingles through my body. I couldn't believe how perverted he was being. He began to speak once more.

"I have to take precautions. Now, as I was saying earlier, before you rudely interrupted..." He continued to rub my leg and I trembled. "I was going to leave you in the changed world, but I decided against it, which was why I came to your school...it was quite amusing to see you in a classroom like that. I never thought of you as the schoolboy type. It makes the imagination go wild...doesn't it, you naughty boy?"

I breathed out angrily, but didn't say anything. I was interested, so I didn't want to provoke his temper right now, regardless of the blatant sexual innuendos that Ghirahim used shamelessly. It wasn't very comfortable to be talking to him when I wasn't wearing any clothes either...

"I was coming to fetch you, actually. I started to miss our little skirmishes, and frequent meetings, and I felt the need to bring you back. I was not particularly planning on killing you...well, not right away, regardless of whatever threats I may have issued."

He licked his lips at the last words and I looked away. I was blushing as he rubbed up my thigh, then back down to my bound ankles. A soft moan came from my lips without my permission, and my eyes widened at my reaction. Ghirahim looked satisfied and his eyes wandered down. What was he staring at now? I followed his eyes and gasped in horror as I realized he was staring at my crotch...which sported all the signs of arousal. Why was he doing this to me?! More importantly, why was this happening?!

"Getting a little excited, hmm?"

"Shut up!" I snapped. He laughed quietly, which succeeded in further infuriating me, but I remained silent, trying to lower my arousal. I didn't understand how in the name of Hylia Ghirahim managed to arouse me so easily. It was disturbing, and I was more than a bit shocked at my behavior and reactions to his advances.

"Anyways, if you still are interested in conversation, I will go on. Unless of course, you'd like to...do something else?" He eyed my crotch suggestively and I flushed again.

"Just stop staring."

He looked back at my face, but continued to run his hand up and down my leg gently.

"So, back to what we were talking about." Ghirahim used his other free hand to pick at a piece of fabric on his white outfit. He flicked away whatever miniscule piece of filth that rested on his thigh, then returned his attention to me. "I wanted to bring you back with me, but then that _spirit of the sword..._"

He spat the words without warning, but quickly regained his composure. "...she came to being you back, herself. Herself and Hylia thought, quite wrongly, that I was set on murdering you, but oh, no. I had other plans. Plans that I had to alter because of that loathsome sword spirit!"

I flinched as the volume of his voice rose, and with it, his body stiffened and he dug his nails into my leg. I gasped, but it only lasted for a moment. Yet again, he relaxed. "When I found that you were gone from the changed world, I returned here. I had my suspicions. So here I am. I found you exactly where I suspected; safe and sound in your little floating village."

"How did you get the job as a teacher?" I demanded. Ghirahim looked smug.

"It's never hard for a demon to get what he wants..." His voice lowered to a lusty murmur as he ran his fingernails over my hip, leaving me shivering in delight. I hated how my body was reacting, but I couldn't do anything about it. So instead, I changed the topic.

"If you don't want to murder me, then what _do _you want?" I asked.

Ghirahim narrowed his eyes in a sensual way. "I never said I wouldn't or don't want to murder you. And in answer to your other question: I want _you_, sky child."

The words sent shivers through my body and his hand slipped from my thigh. I mentally sighed in relief as the contact was broken. "But what do you want _from _me?"

"Oh, many things. But I mainly want you because I want the goddess' chosen hero to be mine. I also want to keep you out of my way."

"But I haven't done anything to get in the way of whatever 'plans' you have!" I exclaimed, infuriated.

"No, not yet, but you will. And I can't have that happen." He pointed out.

"Then what're you going to do about me? I'm not just gonna stop doing what I have to do!" Sarcasm dripped from my words and Ghirahim gave me a bored look.

"What do you think I am going to do with you?" He deadpanned. Before I could answer, he went on. "I'm going to take you when I feel like it...and then you will be mine, so I'll bring you to my abode to be my slave-I`ll keep you from interfering in my plans."

"You're not going to take me anywhere, and I am not going to be your, let alone anyone else's slave." I retorted. But then the words sunk into my mind and I suddenly blushed when I realized that he had cryptically worded his sentence to include another sexual reference. What did he see in me? It made me shiver whenever he said something remotely dirty, because now he had made it quite clear that he wanted my body just as much as my blood. I had never been in this kind of situation before, so I wasn't sure how to react.

Ghirahim gave me a sour look at my stubborn attitude, and then his trademark smirk returned. "I suppose that is to be determined."

I scoffed and then turned my face from his. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arousal. My eyes snapped back to Ghirahim, who had his fingers wrapped around the erect member.

"Let go!" I growled. He smiled at me and then started to stroke, brushing his elegant fingers over the slit again and I bucked up into his hands, a shameful moan releasing into the air, the pleasure counteracting the subsiding pain in my nose and already healing cuts. The blood had almost stopped streaming out.

"You're so terribly erotic, sky child. You should see your face, flushing red like that." His hand gave one last teasing squeeze, which I gasped at, and then he let go. He got to his feet suddenly, myself still recovering from the generous attention my groin had just been subjected to. "I wonder what the spirit maiden would think if she were to see you like this; tied down on a bed, sweaty, naked and aroused...Or would you prefer someone else to find you like this instead?"

I felt color burn in my cheeks at his descriptive words and turned my face in shame, trying not to think about my throbbing erection between my spread out legs. I blushed even more at the image he painted and to my horror, found myself getting even more aroused. This was humiliating and unfair. Ghirahim was looking at me hungrily, now. I felt so vulnerable. I looked away in shame.

Ghirahim laughed at my flustered look and then eyed my body again. I expected him to snap the ropes away, but he didn't. I suddenly realized that he was planning on leaving me like this.

"Can you get rid of these ropes?" I growled at him, tugging at them in irritation.

"No, I think you look rather tempting like this. I'm going to leave you exactly the way you are." My heart sunk and I sighed.

"Please?" I asked, but he was already shaking his head.

"No, sky child." I closed my eyes and pursed my lips, before looking back at the demon. His eyes rested on the goddess sword and I froze as he lifted it up and then turned it over in is hands. I thought about Fi. Could she get him to let go? As though reading my mind, Ghirahim smiled. Why did he always have to seem so darn arrogant and smug? What was there to be happy about?

"I'm afraid that your sword spirit can't do anything to help you right now. You're going to have to get on alone, from what I can tell." He raised the sword, and I felt dread creep up on me. He couldn't take Fi with him. I needed her to help me learn about Skyloft and even myself! I needed her.

Suddenly, diamonds enveloped the blade, and it disappeared in a million mirror-like shards. I gaped. He didn't just...

"No, I didn't destroy the sword, you incompetent, unintelligent brat. I am not powerful enough to destroy something made directly by the goddess." He sounded bitter as he seemed to read my thoughts. He flipped his curtain of white hair away from his face. It revealed his other dark eye for a second, before the veil of silvery hair covered that half of his face again.

"Well, I have nothing more to say to you at the moment, and duty calls." He raised his delicate hand, preparing to snap. "And as much as I'd like to take you with me, I am too busy to entertain a guest, so...I suppose you will have to remain here. I had a fabulous time with you and I look forward to seeing you again soon. And don't get any ideas, my little sky child. I'll be keeping a close eye on you. Until next time."

A snap resonated throughout the room and he vanished just like that in a shower of diamonds. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to register the fact that he was completely gone until I got a good look around the room. I sighed exasperatedly, having no energy left to feel angry. He just taken Fi with him. I was all alone.

The whole incident had been so sudden; him appearing in my room, tying me up, then the violations, the sword that he used to threaten me, Zelda...coming to the door, and then...the molesting of my body...and the conversation, Fi being taken away...and now this: tied to a bed. I knew that I had been fairly well acquainted with Ghirahim before, but just didn't remember, however I was still getting the "sexually abused by a stranger all of a sudden without any warning" feeling. I tried not to smile at my dry sense of humor.

What was I supposed to do anymore, though?

I squirmed around, the ropes tied tightly to my limbs. The more I struggled, the more it hurt my cuts. My nose was throbbing painfully, and I was getting light headed from blood loss. I tugged again at the ropes. They didn't seem inclined to loosen any time soon.

I sighed and pulled at the tight bonds again, little options left. I could worry about Fi later.

Right now, I just needed to get myself out of these ropes.

**/**

**A/N: So, did you like it? Let me know what you thought. I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors. It was taking so long to proofread, but I think I got most, if not all of them.**

**I'm really busy right now because e****xams are tough, and I have to study, so I honestly don't know how the heck I'm getting time to work on this at all. And thank you people who wished me good luck on my school exams. You're all so sweet! I hope I get a good mark!**

**Anyways, please leave a review for me!**

**Bye bye! :)**


	9. Irony

**A/N: Hey again! This is a shorter chapter, more like a filler really. It's not that great...**

**Anyways, thanks goes to zelda3469, Shadoween, Sydney, NayruSapphire, and Guest for reviewing last chapter. :)**

**And without further ado, let's see what Link does about his situation! Enjoy!**

**/**

"...stupid Ghirahim...What the heck was he thinking? And how am I supposed to...gah!" I muttered angrily to myself, the thoughts barely registering properly. I had tried every possible thing, and the ropes continued to stay just as tight as ever. It was humiliating and frustrating.

Embarrassment flooded my body and I tugged at the ropes again, but like I had predicted: nothing happened.

They refused to loosen by even the slightest bit. I tried to move my teeth to any of the restraining ropes, but my limbs were pulled too far away for me to bite at the ropes. I tugged harder and harder, but nothing happened, and my ankles and wrists were getting sore by now. Perhaps I could take off my gauntlets somehow, by slipping my hand through them.

I tried. Nothing worked. I twisted, pulled, writhed around, even tried to shift my body to move the bed itself somehow, but it all came to the same thing: me collapsing down in exhaustion at over-exerting myself. It was unfair. I wanted to call for help, but I didn't want anybody to find me like this. It would just bring up a bunch of unwanted interrogation, not to mention that I was not wearing anything, and that _part_ was still aroused and was throbbing almost painfully. I lowered my head in shame and closed my eyes.

What a degrading thing to do to someone.

What was I going to do about this? Perhaps if I waited for my arousal to go down...then I would be able to somehow move the blankets over me, and I could call for help.

But still...the whole position that Ghirahim had tied me in...it was so blatantly sexual, and whoever came in would think that I had been...with someone...I mean, I technically had been, but the whole thing had been against my will. I didn't _ask _Ghirahim to tie me up, for Farore's sake!

"...oh, goddess..." I mumbled to myself. Why did Ghirahim have to do this to me? How did he get satisfaction from this? He was sick to leave me in such a state. He knew that I needed help and he knew that I was aroused...not that I wanted him to have relieved me...no...why would I want that? I mean...no.

I breathed out through my nose, which still trickled little rivulets of blood, and then experimentally tugged at the ropes for the hundredth time. I sighed and slumped down on the bed, still damp, a thin sheen of sweat still moistening my skin after the brief session with Ghirahim. The cuts on my chest had crusted over quite disgustingly, but at least it wasn't still seeping blood anymore. That would only add to more unwanted questioning if I was caught like this.

I couldn't believe that this had even happened. I was only here for about a day, and then...I couldn't stand that demon! And what did he mean when he said that he "wants me"? What the heck was that all about? He was so perverted and psychotic...

He acted like he was obsessed with me. But then again, he probably was. It was disconcerting. But I brushed the disturbing thoughts away and tried to free myself from the ropes again, but to no avail. My hope was depleting rapidly as time slipped by. I could see the little rays of light reddening. I had been here for a long time already.

"...why does this have to happen?" I muttered into the silence. I didn't answer my question, nor did the empty room.

But something else did. A knock on the door.

Alarm lit my body on fire and I tensed. I felt nausea rising in my throat. It had better not be Zelda...

"Link? Are you still in there?"

Really?! Cruel irony. I was not amused. I grimaced, but it ended up as more of a wince when my nose throbbed more painfully. I could taste some of the blood that had somehow gotten into my mouth. It was sickening.

I refused to answer. Hopefully, she'd leave when there was no answer.

"Link? Are you still in there?" She called softly from the other side of the door. "Are you feeling any better? I was worrying about you...you're acting kind of strange."

I closed my eyes and experimentally pulled at the ropes for a _millionth _time, but less vigorously for fear that the bed would creak and she'd hear.

"Are you in there?" She knocked again, but louder. Then there was more silence. I heard a jiggling sound and my eyes snapped open. They locked on to the handle of the door, which was moving slightly as she tried the knob. I silently sighed in relief that locks existed. It moved a little bit more, but luckily, the door didn't open.

"Okay, honestly Link, I know you're in there." She said. Wait...how? How could she know...

"And if you're wondering how I know: You never lock your door, so something must be wrong." She explained to me, answering my silent question. I mentally cursed. That meant that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"C'mon, open the door, Link. I need to know if you're feeling better..." She sounded a bit desperate now, so I decided that I'd better answer.

"Zelda?" I said hesitantly, trying not to gasp as I felt my area down there continue to feel uncomfortable. This was completely wrong to be trying to talk to someone like this. I was in no state to greet her at the door either since I obviously couldn't get up from my spot on the bed.

"Oh!" She said surprised. "Link!"

"Yeah..." I muttered quietly in response, not that she could have heard...

"Well, are you feeling any better?" She asked.

I wanted to say 'no, I'm not feeling anywhere near being better', but decided against it. I just wanted her to leave so I could formulate a plan to get out of the ropes. That was, _if _I even had any ideas at this point.

"Uh...yeah. I'm okay." I replied. "I fell asleep."

"But is your stomach okay now?"

"Erm...no, I think I'm sick." I certainly felt sick right now. I could feel the blood rushing through my body. It didn't help the situation when I kept having mini flashbacks to what Ghirahim had done to me...

"Aw, Link! Do you want anything?"

Yeah. I want to kill Ghirahim! And to get. Out. Of. These. Goddess. Forsaken. Ropes. "No, I'll be fine by myself."

"Really, if you're sick, you shouldn't be there all alone. Could you at least let me come in?" Zelda was starting to sound slightly irritated.

"No!" I blurted out before I could stop myself. She could _not _find out about this _at all._

There was a pause. "Why not?"

"...b-because my stomach hurts too much."

"If your stomach hurts that much, then you might be seriously ill! I could go to my father and get a key to your room."

My insides flipped and alarm shot through me. "No! Don't do that!" A shocked silence followed my outburst and I quickly backtracked.

"I mean, why would your father have a key?"

"Um, Link, he runs the academy, so he has duplicates of all the room keys..."

"Oh...yeah, uh...well, no, I'll be fine." I said awkwardly. I kept feeling the demon's hands on me...and that warm mouth-what the hell was I thinking! I wiped the disturbing thoughts from my mind, but Ghirahim kept getting at me. Everything he said would repeat itself in my head...I didn't know why either. How come he got to me so easily?

I was so busy thinking to myself that I almost missed Zelda's response.

"Either way, I think it would help you if I came to check on you. You need someone to take care of you." She said, mildly frustrated at my stubbornness. "I'm going to get a key. I'll be back soon."

Oh crap. My eyes widened in horror and I heard her footsteps retread. What in the name of Hylia was I supposed to do?!

Panic rose like bile from my chest to my throat, and I started to struggle madly against the ropes. I tugged and pulled and writhed around, thrashing my feet and arms, flailing my whole body around. Anything to get out. I silently begged to the goddesses that I could get out before Zelda got back. She couldn't see this-she just couldn't!

What was Ghirahim thinking when he did this?

I was naked, tied to the bed, aroused...just like he had said. It was horrifying. Nobody could know about this!

My panic was rising with every moment and I was feeling even more sick. I felt as though I was going to throw up...this had to be the worst situation I had ever been in...

A squawking sound suddenly rang through the air and I jerked in surprise, but was restrained by the ropes. My wrists and ankles burned painfully. I turned my head to the side just as the shutters burst open and the reddish rays of the sun shone in to the room, making me squint. I felt embarrassment flood my body.

Who had opened my shutters? And what was that sound-

"Oh my goddess!" I almost shouted. A large red bird had stuck it's head in through the now open window. The moment I identified it as not human, I felt relief wash over me. Thank Nayru that it wasn't a person. My nudity wasn't nearly as embarrassing now. If it had been someone like Zelda...Wait. But Zelda was still coming! I immediately felt dread settle in my stomach. She probably wouldn't be long now...and what was I supposed to do? The bird was hardly helping. It only had succeeded in freaking me out.

It looked into the room with a carefree demeanor, turning it's large head back and forth, then eventually stopping, and resting it's large eyes on me. There was a certain comfort that I took from it...like a pet, but at the same time not. 'Shut up, Link! You have to think of a way to get out of these ropes! Not thinking about a random bird that sticks it's head in the window!'

I frowned and then looked back to the bird. There wasn't much time, but it was worth a try. The bird watched me happily, a few red feathers caught the sunlight and glowed vibrantly.

An idea was forming in my head, but I had to think quickly if I was determined not to let Zelda walk in on me like this.

"Hey, bird!" I half-whispered. It blinked at me and I began to wonder why the heck I was talking to it, but it just felt right. It seemed like it understood, crazily enough. "Will you help me?"

It...nodded? And then cawed gently, sticking it's head into the room even more.

"Could you bite the ropes here?" I moved my hands and pulled at the ropes with my wrists as a gesture to where 'here' was. The bird certainly wouldn't be able to get the ropes around my ankles if the rest of it was as big as I suspected-I mean, how would it get the rest of it's body through the window?-but I could untie them myself. All I needed was the ability to use my hands again.

I blinked once more and I was beginning to suspect that my attention to the creature had been all for naught, when it stretched it's neck and moved it's large head towards the ropes around my wrists. Smart bird.

It opened it's beak and chomped down on the ropes.

They immediately slackened and I sighed in relief. My hands tingled as blood ran through to the fingertips again. I flexed them in the gauntlets, and then sat up as soon as I could.

"Ah!" I gasped as my arousal still hurt. It was annoying how it hadn't gone down one bit. Probably because visions of Ghirahim and his...particular dirty actions kept popping into my head. I wanted to kill him so bad. I never deserved that violation! It was completely wrong!

The bird squawked at me and I jerked back to the present. I hurriedly got to work I hunched over, all the while biting my lip to stop the uncomfortable feeling down there, and bent over my feet. I grabbed a handful of blankets and covered myself up. But Zelda still couldn't see this. The ropes and me being naked were enough evidence to point at some...not so innocent activity.

She'd put the pieces together soon enough if she saw this. I knew that she would interpret it differently-that I had been with someone else with my consent-and I didn't want her to think that.

I looked down at my feet. The ropes weren't tight, now that I wasn't so spread out, so I could move more easily. I grabbed at the nearest knot and began to work away at it as quickly as I could.

But my fingers were clumsy since they had had minimum blood circulation for the past little bit. I breathed out angrily, but didn't give up on it. I had to get out. I had to! Zelda could be back any minute!

I kept working at the knots, and even took my gauntlets off to see if that would help with the blood circulation. I threw them on the desk and then went back to work. After a few fruitless attempts, I realized that I'd have to cut the rope somehow. I looked back at the bird, who hadn't moved.

"Is there anything that I can use to cut these ropes?" I said all in one breath.

The large head of the bird swung to the right, towards me, and I groaned, annoyed that it wasn't helping anymore. "I need to get out! What can I use to cut these ropes!"

It looked at the bed again and I clenched my hands into fists. "Where!?"

Another head nod at the bed.

But not at me. Lower down-closer to the ground...

Oh. Under the bed. But hadn't I already cleared out everything from under there?

There wasn't anything else I could do, though. I hung my upper body over the side of the bed. I was on my stomach and was half-upside-down now. I reached under the bed, and waved my hand around blindly, with little light getting underneath.I felt along the floor for anything.

And my hand hit something. It was sharp. I jerked back, retracting my hand from the sharp object that had almost speared my finger. But I reached back under the bed. I grabbed a slim object. A larger thing started to be dragged along as well, but I separated the two so I could just have the sharp thing.

I whipped it out from under the bed and sat up immediately. An arrow. I suspected that there was a sheath and a bow under the bed that had almost been dragged along, too. Why I kept a bow and arrows under the bed was a mystery to me.

As I was doing this, the bird squawked gently again and I looked over at it. It nodded to me and retracted it's head from the window, one shutter closed behind it, while the other let in some sunlight so I could see better. I turned back to the arrow, silently thanking the bird for coming to help me.

I gripped the slim weapon and quickly used it against the rope, which snapped a few moments later. Hm. Very sharp arrows. I did the same with the second one and soon I was freed. I sighed in extreme relief, that was until I remembered about Zelda coming. It was odd how she wasn't here yet. maybe she had been held back. Either way, I'd hear her when she got to the door. So I had time to hide all the evidence of what had conspired here.

Jumping from the bed (and stumbling a bit), I snapped the rest of the ropes off from the headboard and the sides of the mattress, where they had somehow been attached, I threw them under the bed and then grabbed all the sheets, throwing them in a pile at the foot of my bed. Now it just looked as though I was going to do laundry. I threw the arrow under the bed, too.

Next up, I grabbed my clothes and was about to put them on when I saw the blood stain in the tunic, a large rip spreading through the front. No. I couldn't wear that.

I discarded it onto the pile of sheets, being extra careful to hide the blood stains.

Suddenly, I remembered my old clothes...my other clothes from the changed world...what had happened to them? I shook my head confused, then went back to what I was doing.

Zelda still hadn't come. Maybe I could relax.

I decided to look for some other clothes. I was just about to look when there was a light knock on the door. Stupid me! I still wasn't wearing anything! I looked around for a hiding place and my eyes landed on the space under the bed. Would I be able to fit under there?

No, I concluded. I couldn't fit under there...It just wasn't happening.

"Link? I'm sorry I took so long. Groose wanted to talk to me about what materials he should bring to Hyrule and-well, I got a bit distracted, and then I forgot that my father was on the surface helping out, so it took me a while to find the key."

While she was talking, I ran across the small room to the wardrobe and grabbed the first shirt, pants, underwear and socks that I could find. I grabbed my boots. I had an idea.

"...then I saw Fledge and he said that Cawlin had stolen food from the kitchen, and so I had to deal with him..." Zelda was saying. I only half-listened. I looked at the wooden divider and then I stepped up onto the desk easily. I climbed onto the top of the bookshelf next, only wobbling slightly before regaining balance. I was still clutching the garments and boots in my arms.

"...oh, sorry, Link! I got distracted! I'll come in to check on you. Okay?"

Oh dear. She was coming in. I heard the lock and I panicked. I frantically threw my clothes into the other room, not caring whether or not anyone else was in there or not. If there was anyone else, they would have heard the noises earlier, and what difference would it make to them to see me naked? They already would have heard what happened, so they'd know it wasn't with my consent. The clothes and the boots landed with a light thump. Now I just had to get over.

I grabbed the top of the divider and swung my feet over it before hopping down into the next room, landing lightly on my feet. I heard the door in the other room open just as I vanished from view. Oh my goddess...I closed my eyes in relief. That was _way too close _for my liking...geez...

"Link?" I could hear Zelda's voice from the other side of the barrier. Her footsteps wandered around the room and then paused. "Hmmm."

She sounded a bit confused, but then very soon she left, muttering something that sounded like "I swear he was here a moment ago..."

I opened my eyes, feeling much more relaxed. I surveyed the room I was now in. Much to my relief, it was empty. It was very similar to my own room, which didn't surprise me. There was a bed, a few shelves and some drawers at the opposite wall. Above the bed on the wall was a window, which was currently covered with blinds. Two small yellow tinted ones were on the wall to my left. Up against the divider was a desk, a bookshelf, and a wardrobe, like my own room. A green rug was on the floor. The door was to my right.

I was glad that I had jumped far enough, otherwise I would have hurt myself on the pieces of furniture near the divider.

"...okay, so..." I muttered absently to myself as I sifted through the clothes. I pulled out a long sleeved beige shirt first. It had blue designs at the sleeves and near the neck, as well as a red thing that wrapped around. There was a belt that tied it into place. Okay then...strange clothes. But then again, I didn't have anything else to change into, and everyone else that I'd seen had dressed kinda strangely.

I pulled it on. Like with the tunic, it looked warm-way too warm-but it wasn't, much to my chagrin. I put on the boxers next-I was really happy to see that my little 'problem' had gone away somehow...probably due to my panicking-and then the pair of green pants I had found. They, too looked warm. But weren't. Huh.

I put on my socks and boots after this and then ran a hand through my hair. There. I was good.

But now what? It had to be getting on in the day, and I was hungry...my stomach growled to emphasize the point and I sighed. I suppose now wasn't a bad time to meet some people either. I had to go find Zelda anyways, and I wasn't ever going to get Fi back if I just stayed here.

Without another glance at the room, I decided to leave and find the bathroom first. I had to clean the blood from my face. And then I would look around for some people to hang out with...

Maybe I could find out more about my past life, too.

**/**

**A/N: Anywayssss, at school I only have to write my English exam tomorrow, then I'm off for the summer (Yay!). I hope I do well 'cause my English teacher doesn't seem to like my writing that much...meh, oh well.**

**So, bye bye! Please review! :D**


	10. Choices

**A/N: Hi! I have chapter 10 for you! :D I hope it isn't too hard to follow. **

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Okay, enjoy!**

**/**

"AH! What the-?!" I jumped back in alarm-not even finishing my sentence-and backed into the hall again, trying to shut the door at the same time.

I had come out of the adjacent room and had gone to the bathroom as planned, when I decided to return to my room. I wanted to change back into my green knight's outfit, or at least wash it. But then this just _had _to happen.

Imagine opening the door to your room and seeing the guy who molested you sitting casually on the corner of your desk? Well, what can I say? Cruel irony.

I slammed the door in shock and then leaned my back against it in case he tried to get me. I suddenly froze. What the heck was I doing? If he was able to teleport someone to another world, then surely he could teleport himself? Like he had in that creepy dream I had what felt like a lifetime ago…?

…And like he had done when he 'left' my room? Duh? Was my brain really moving that slowly today?

Oh goddess. I had to get away.

I suddenly took off. I sprinted to the left and headed for the door that was right there. It was an exit, conveniently located close to my room. I completely ran full out, not even caring that the mid-section of my body still hurt from the cuts that Ghirahim had inflicted upon me. They were healing, but were still very tender and sore.

I reached out for the door and was just about to leave when a cascade of diamonds appeared in front of me and I ran into something…no…some_one _before I was able to stop.

"Oof!" I groaned at the sudden and unexpected impact. My nose rammed into him and I groaned. It wasn't bleeding anymore and it was cleaned up, but it was no surprise that it hurt a lot. But the pain didn't last. Nor did the pain from my healing cuts. That much I was thankful for. Ghirahim really hadn't done as much damage as I had initially thought.

But back to my current situation…this could _not_ be happening…

A hand snaked around my neck, forcing my head to angle up towards my adversary. Another hand slid down my left arm and then to the small of my back, where it pulled me into him. No, no, no, no, no!

"Let go of me!" I hissed through gritted teeth. Eyes trained on mine, he giggled lightly and then ran his fingers through my hair gently. I flinched.

"Someone's excited to see me." He said gleefully. "You're quite the little escape artist, aren't you?"

"Just let go!" I growled. I didn't want to attract attention because I had a feeling that he'd use it against me. He'd probably say something like 'If you don't come with me, then I'll kill your friend', and I wasn't going to let him do that. I wanted to keep everyone else out of this. It was between me and him." I thought you had important business to attend to!"

He tilted my head up closer to his and leaned down a bit, so I could feel his breath on my cheeks. "I couldn't bear the thought of leaving my pet all alone, I suppose..."

"Seriously, just let go, and _then_ tell me what you want! I'll listen if you just _let go!_" I said angrily. I struggled against him, but he was too strong. I didn't want to admit it, but the human contact was getting to me in a strange way. I didn't know how to describe it, but I was ultra-aware of every place that our bodies touched. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was up for questioning.

Instead, Ghirahim leaned down closer to my face. He moved the hand on my neck to grip my chin. It hurt. A lot. He was being too rough and I winced.

Without being able to move my face, I couldn't do anything as he claimed my lips once more. When his lips touched mine, a strange tingling sensation washed over me and I willed it away. I didn't close my eyes and he didn't either. I found myself staring into his dark ones. They were actually a dark brown the closer I looked…There were little flecks of a dark violet color in the irises…

"Mmmf!" I groaned. His lips pressed into mine more aggressively and I tried to kick, but I was being held to tightly. His snake-like tongue entered my mouth without my permission before retracting.

But luckily, he moved his mouth off of mine and I gasped, relieved. What was with him? No, the real question was 'what was the matter with me?'

"What was that for?" I snapped, catching my breath. I felt my face flush. He ignored my question, which I already guessed he'd do, and stroked the side of my face. It made me shudder.

"When I saw your brilliant escape, I decided that I should keep a closer eye on you. I can't have my pet running off on me." Ghirahim ran his tongue over his lips in a predatory way and I glared back. "So…"

I waited for him to finish his sentence, already dreading the conclusion. "…so I've decided to take you back with me right now. Just in case."

"No! You-you…" I couldn't think of an appropriate word that would cover everything. "…you…child-molesting…demon!"

Wow. Great job, Link. Really intimidating and creative of you. That didn't sound lame at all. Why did everything I said have to sound so dumb? Especially in Ghirahim's presence? He had such an eloquent way of speaking that put everyone's idiolect to shame.

Ghirahim raised his eyebrows and eyed me suggestively, in a sultry manner. It made me grimace. "I'd hardly call you a child. But call me what you wish, sky child, however you know that you love every minute of our valuable time together."

"No! I do _not, you creep!"_ He brought his lips to mine again with no warning and I squirmed in his arms, but the kiss wasn't long-lasting. It was more like a peck-the kind of kiss you'd give when you're just trying to shut your partner up. He pulled away and I glared at him defiantly, lips tingling lightly from the momentary contact. The thin trail of saliva connecting our mouths broke and I licked my lips instinctively before I realized what a disgusting thing I'd just done.

"Don't deny it. And I really don't appreciate the name calling either." Ghirahim said, feigning sadness. I breathed out heavily and looked away from him. He pushed me away. His hands rested on my waist and it sent sparks through my body in a strange way. Disconcerted, I brushed off his hands and took another step away. The air between us was thick with tension, but something else too. I couldn't identify it.

"Since I am a kind lord, I can offer you another choice if you insist on being so stubborn." Not another choice thing. The options were never fair. And no deals either. It was equivalent to making a deal with the devil. He may as well be the devil. I balled my hands into tight fists at my sides and glared at him.

He flipped his hair out of his other eye dramatically and I rolled my eyes. He was such a narcissist. "I'm not going to play any of your stupid games."

Ghirahim chuckled and a sliver of doubt settled in my stomach. I swallowed uncomfortably. He wasn't going to just let me go like this. It was completely unfair of him to make me think I was alone, but to come back not 30 minutes later? That was playing dirty. I didn't like this. It made me pretty upset to know that he had seen my escape, either. That means that he was watching me. And I wasn't wearing any clothes.

And I hated when people stared.

I shook the disturbing thoughts away and instead thought about the other disturbing, yet more pressing matters.

I didn't want to have to choose between unfair options, but I knew that if I argued with him, things would just end up worse for me. What was even more unfair was that if I refused to go along with him, he'd just force me to anyways. Ghirahim had a way of getting people to do things for him without themselves even knowing that they had done something in his favor. I hated to admit it, but Ghirahim was clever. He was very clever, and whatever I said, he would twist my words. And whatever I did, he would work around it.

"Oh, yes you will, sky child." He said, smirking at me. "Unless you need some motivation."

I shook my head. Whatever 'motivation' he was talking about couldn't be good. "Fine. Just say whatever you want to say." I said irritably, the corner of my right eye twitched.

Ghirahim looked at me, satisfaction written all over his face at my 'obedience', or whatever he'd call it.

"Come with me willingly, and I won't kill you or any of friends…for the meantime. Not to mention that I'll attempt to show you some mercy. But I still have yet to rectify that character flaw." His voice darkened considerably and I found myself getting anxious.

"Or, I _force_ you to come with me, and I make you watch as I murder the spirit maiden and everyone else you hold dear. Or rather, I'll sacrifice you're your friend's divine spirit to my master. Now, wouldn't that be fun? I'll have to do that either way. But her physical body can be still ripped apart…and yours, too if you continue to be such an irksome brat."

"What?! That's-that's…that's-!" I stammered. I couldn't even measure how wrong that was. It was beyond evil. What kind of choice was that? He knew that I'd choose the first one, too. I would rather fight him, but I didn't remember how to fight yet. As for the second option? I'd never choose that. It was wrong.

"I'll give you some time to think, if you'd like." He said silkily, faking innocence. "But really, hero. I don't see how it's a difficult decision."

I glared daggers at him. He was sick. He was completely messed up. How could he put me in such a position? There was no way out. No matter what I chose, I'd lose, because if I went with him, then he'd just raise his master and everyone would die anyways!

Agh! This was a whole set-up for me to fail!

But I had to choose one…otherwise things could become a whole lot worse…

"How long do I have to decide?" I said, still glaring fiercely.

A smug smile spread across his face and he raised his eyebrows. "Hm? Does three days sound satisfactory?"

How 'bout never?

"Whatever."

"Then I'd rather it be midnight." He ran his fingers through his white-silver hair, then placed his white-gloved hand on his hip. "I expect you to have decided by then."

Midnight? As in…tonight?!

My fingers jerked as though I wanted to punch something, but I didn't let my anger show on my face. I couldn't blame anyone but myself. I had refused to agree to the three day thing. But it hadn't occurred to me that he would change it to sooner. What a joke this must be for him.

"Fine. Just go."

"Then I'll be seeing you soon, sky child. Don't keep me waiting."

"Wait, where'll you be?" I asked. His eyes wandered to the door of my room, and I nodded once when I got the message. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I had to figure something out, and fast too. Otherwise…well, nothing seemed to be going my way recently and I doubted that this would be an exception.

Ghirahim smirked at me. "Maybe I'll persuade my master to spare your pitiful life." And then he snapped his fingers and was gone in a flurry of diamonds that vanished into the air, leaving the hallway devoid of his presence. I was pretty sure he really was gone now. I was left standing in the hallway, alone.

What the heck was I supposed to do now? Ever since he had arrived at Skyloft High-no, ever since he and I met, he'd been screwing with my life. Why did he have to always get in my way? Couldn't he live without his master? Couldn't he just stop messing with me? Was I really that fascinating? Was I really that interesting to him?

I breathed out angrily at all the unanswered questions swimming in my head. I couldn't answer them, and Fi wasn't here to answer them either. Speaking of which, I really had to get her back. I wasn't sure how to, though. There was no possible way that I could with the current knowledge I had.

"Oh! Link! You're okay!" I heard a voice behind me and sighed when I recognized it as Zelda's. I turned around. She was grinning happily as she walked down the hallway towards me. She looked the same as ever, long tresses of blonde hair bordering her face, tied with blue and pink ribbons.

…if she had arrived a moment sooner, then she'd have seen Ghirahim…

I shuddered at the thought. That was the second thing she'd almost walked in on…and I didn't want to raise the count to three. Two close calls were already more than enough.

"Yeah, I'm…uh, feeling better." I grinned awkwardly and then reached up to fiddle with my earring nervously, the incident with Ghirahim still fresh in my mind, plaguing my every moment with the unsettling feelings of angst and uncertainty.

She walked closer at a better talking distance. "I didn't see you earlier when I went to go check on you."

"Oh, well I…I went to get a glass of water because my throat hurt. But it's better now." I lied. There were so many ways she could prove me wrong, but thankfully, she let the matter drop.

"Anyway, it's good that you're feeling better." Zelda said, a hint of doubt was betrayed in her words, but neither of us wanted to pursue the subject. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Uh, where were you headed?"

"I was going to go flying." She replied. A smile blossomed on her lips as she went on. "If you're really feeling better…"

More caution festered in my heart, but I nodded.

"…then…did you want to come with me?"

Oops…I couldn't back out a second time. I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it awkwardly. But I forced myself to talk. I didn't want to let her down again. She was my sist-no. She was my best friend.

"Sure." Immediately, her face brightened even more and the apprehension present in her eyes earlier dissipated. It didn't take a lot to make her happy.

"Wait-so you're _absolutely positively sure _that you're not sick?"

I couldn't quite say that with any degree of certainty…"Yeah, I'm feeling fine. Did you want to go now?"

Zelda nodded enthusiastically. "C'mon then!"

Not even giving me a moment to think, she grabbed my arm and started to pull me to the door. I followed obligingly, feeling more apprehensive with every step. I still didn't even know what she meant by 'flying'! I had a funny feeling that it had something to do with the 'loftwing' that Fi was going to show me earlier, and that bird that had stuck its head in my window.

And on top of that, I still was weighed down by the matter of Ghirahim and his messed up deal thing! It had only happened a few minutes ago. I hadn't had time to really think about it at length...Now was one of those times I wished I had someone to talk about it to. I could tell Zelda, but I didn't want to get her involved. What if Ghirahim used her for blackmailing me?

My life was getting way too confusing for my tastes. I almost wished that I could be back in the changed world. And that none of this had happened. I liked my life there, no matter how short it really was.

"Link? You're walking like you're half asleep!" Zelda chided me, jostling me from my thoughts. I laughed, slightly nervously, but also embarrassed. "You can't fly when you're asleep!"

I smiled, trying to force optimism, and then we went outside. It was late afternoon, almost dinnertime, so I didn't have nearly as much time to think about Ghirahim's proposition as I would have liked. I didn't want to think about it, but everything was happening too fast, and I knew that I'd have to make a decision. I already knew that I'd choose the lesser of two evils: choosing to go with Ghirahim. But wouldn't Zelda notice my disappearance? People would surely wonder where I was. There had to be a loophole; a way out. There had to be. More options had to be present.

We headed over to the plaza. The sun was casting orange and yellow light over Skyloft, and the sky was tinted a fading blue, with pink and purple highlights. It was really beautiful to look at, but of course my good mood was tainted by the incident with Ghirahim hanging over my head like a rain cloud.

When we got down to the plaza, Zelda smiled jubilantly at me and then turned away. She slipped her hand out of mine and then started running towards the edge of the plaza. She glanced back and waved her arm at me to follow. I ran after her, but let her go first, since I wasn't sure where she was going. I thought she'd stop when she was near the edge, but instead, she kept going. Confusion filled my mind and momentarily banished the anxiety.

What…?

And then it hit me. She was going to jump off! I didn't yell for some reason. It just didn't feel like the right thing to do. Instead, I ran after her, hoping to catch up. The skirt of her pink dress billowed out behind her in the breeze.

Then she jumped. Horror took hold of me and I dashed after. But soon there wasn't anything to run on. I jumped into the air. I swear my heart stopped. It all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to react.

And then I was falling. I heard a shrill whistling from where Zelda was. I could see her falling below me. I wasn't sure why she whistled, but before I knew it, a large blue…loftwing? I think that was what it was…flew under her…She landed gracefully on it, grabbing onto the cerulean and white feathers.

The whole thing only took a second or two. But as for me? I hadn't even thought to worry about my own predicament for some reason. I was too worried about Zelda. Now, the weight of my situation hit me full force.

Oh goddess. What was I supposed to do?

The air whooshed in my face and stung my eyes as I fell face down, arms out like a sky diver. I wasn't even sure how I assumed this position. Familiarity flowed through my veins accompanied by inevitable panic and exhilaration.

Either way, I was still falling. I didn't feel like I had made a fatal mistake, oddly enough. The bad part: _I still didn't know what to do!_

But then something happened. Something in me clicked into place. Everything seemed to be happening slowly now, as opposed to earlier, but…I knew that it wasn't. Something made me bring my hand to my mouth. And I whistled loudly. Even though I had never done that in the changed world, from what I was aware of. I didn't even know I was capable of whistling like that.

It had to be another part of my real life.

Suddenly the red bird that had come to my room earlier flew under me and my eyes widened-bad mistake, because they started to sting-when I realized I'd have to land on it, like Zelda had.

I squinted now, and reached out. It all only lasted a moment, and soon I grasped the red feathers, and landed on its back, grunting at the impact and the end to the seemingly endless fall. I was captivated by the natural feeling of flying and it took me by surprise.

The bird flew up to join Zelda and her loftwing. They were flying higher up and Zelda looked back at me. She waved with one hand and then my red loftwing went to join hers. For some reason, whatever way I wanted to go, the loftwing did just that. It was odd, but comforting at the same time. My heart slowed down to a more normal beat as I gasped for air. I guessed I hadn't been breathing…

I glanced down and then my good feeling melted when I realized that I actually _was_ legitimately flying. On a bird. Who knows how high from the ground. What had I been thinking-

"Hey, Link!" Zelda called. Hearing her voice calmed me down and I looked over. My loftwing went closer beside hers so I could hear what she was saying more easily.

"Link!" She called again. I smiled at her, taking reassurance from her voice. "This reminds me of when you won the wing ceremony."

I didn't answer, because I wasn't exactly sure what it was. We must have gone flying then. It was worrying how I couldn't remember my life, but other people knew. Everyone else seemed to know more about me than I did myself.

"But then it was ruined because…" Her voice trailed off. Because what? "I wish that it hadn't happened like that. Then you wouldn't have had to go through all that…I'm sorry."

I only assumed that she was talking about the time when she had been kidnapped and then me having to go on that journey…that I still couldn't quite remember. But it hadn't been her fault…right? It was frustrating how I couldn't recall the details of anything.

"No, Zelda it wasn't your fault." I called back with reassurance. She smiled, albeit a little sadly, but didn't reply.

A silence fell over the two of us and I focussed on the sensation of weightlessness that came with the flying. It was wonderful. I almost forgot about Ghirahim.

I looked back down, now that I had calmed down and was feeling more comfortable, and I gripped the smooth crimson feathers in my hands. I leaned forward slightly and let the wind caress my face and blow back my hair. I had to squint my eyes because the breeze stung them. Underneath us was an endless expanse of clouds. It was dyed orange and pink in the dying sun's rays. Was the Surface under there? Little breaks in the blanket of clouds were evident of the land underneath.

There were places where the clouds were thinner and I could see little spots of dark green.

"Link?" Zelda said finally. I looked back up to her and met her bright blue eyes. "I was going to go to the Surface to help my father with Hyrule and was wondering whether you wanted to come with me."

"Sure." I replied. I was curious about the Surface. "When did you want to go?"

Zelda looked down at the puffy clouds and then looked at the sun before returning her gaze to mine. "We'll go tomorrow. It's really convenient how the loftwings can fly through the cloud barrier now, so everyone is allowed to…remember when there was only one way to each Province?"

I nodded, but only vaguely understood. "Yeah."

She looked ahead wistfully. "Everything's changed since you…you know."

"Yeah." I said again, for lack of anything else.

More silence followed. It was a peaceful silence. I found that I was enjoying myself more than I expected. It had a very free feeling about it-flying. It cleared my mind.

"You're a really good friend, Link." I blushed when Zelda broke the silence. She continued. "You know...I've been meaning to say something to you ever since the Wing Ceremony." I met her gaze. "…remember?"

I paused, and thought for a minute. But without warning, everything changed.

_Suddenly, it was daytime. The sun was shining brightly and Zelda was flying to my left. She smiled at me and I looked back to talk to her. My loftwing knew what he was doing. Zelda started talking._

"_Today was amazing. Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together…I'll always remember this. It really was wonderful._

"_You know…Link…There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…"_

_A flash of light suddenly came from nowhere and Zelda gasped. I looked out and there was a huge mass of black and dark brown. _

_Zelda and I stared in shock._

"_What is that?" She yelled out. I couldn't answer, because I didn't know where it had come from. "What's going on?!"_

_I tried to fly away, but the black tornado was dragging us in. The air whipped around us violently and my loftwing was having difficulty flying in the heavy winds. And then Zelda was falling. And falling, and falling into the black tornado._

"_Link!" She screamed. I forced my loftwing to fly in and save her, but we were pushed back._

_And then I was thrown off my bird. _

_Everything went black._

I jerked suddenly in shock and gasped, eyes widening when I realized that I wasn't where I thought I was. What had just happened? I looked to my right to see Zelda, who gazed at me with concern.

"…Are you okay?" She asked hesitantly.

I couldn't answer. That must have been a flashback. It had surprised me. But I still felt…off. I didn't feel as though I was really back. It was hard to describe. I was still half in memories. I wasn't sure I had even sure how long the flashback lasted. Had I gone unconscious or something? My mind was all jumbled.

"Link?" Zelda asked again, more urgently when I didn't answer.

"I…I…" I breathed, uncertain.

Zelda's eyebrows knit together. "Link?" She repeated more anxiously.

I felt my head getting foggy. It was hard to think and her voice sounded so distant…so distant…

"_Well…you put up more of a fight than I would have thought possible out of such a soft boy."_

My head was hurting…I closed my eyes even though I was flying. I saw a pair of dark brown eyes. There were violet flecks in them...

"Link? What's wrong?!"

"_But don't clap for yourself quite yet. That sword of yours is the only reason you still live."_

"He's in my head…" I muttered to myself.

"What did you say?" Zelda asked, but the words didn't seem to make sense to me. I could only hear Ghirahim's voice.

"_I fear I spent far too long teasing and toying with you. The girl's presence has all but faded from this place, which means there's no reason to linger here."_

"…Stop…"

"Link! What's going on?"

I kept my eyes closed, only half-aware of what was happening. The memory took hold of me again, but it felt so real.

"_Good-bye, sky child."_

_Sky child…_

"No!" I yelled, my eyes snapping open. I gasped when I saw that I was still flying. I felt my heart pounding almost painfully in my chest. My eyes watered slightly. I must have been scrunching them closed harder than I thought. My hands were gripping my loftwing's feathers so tightly that my knuckles had turned white.

It had only been a memory…

But now I had to contend with a concerned girl. She looked at me, worried. I didn't blame her. It must have looked like I was having a fit or an episode or something. I glanced over at her and tried to smile, but I knew it wasn't convincing at all.

"Link…I…are you…?" Zelda bit her lip anxiously.

"I-I'm just really tired. It was just a…memory. I'm sorry." She could know that at least. She'd probably assume it was from my quest, which it was…but that didn't mean I wasn't burning up in embarrassment right now. I winced at how I had just shown such a weakness.

Her eyes softened even more, if that was possible. "Link…I…I know it's tough…I sometimes get memories, too."

I avoided her gaze and instead looked out at the setting sun. Zelda's eyes followed mine and she said a small 'oh'.

"Um, Link, we have to return to the academy. It's going to be night soon and rules are rules."

Okay, so there was a no flying at night rule. I nodded. I felt exhausted now. It didn't help that my body was shaking slightly either. We returned to the plaza after only five minutes of flying and then we landed our birds on the ground. My palms were sweating slightly, and I wiped them off on my pants. Zelda hopped down and I followed suit. The loftwings took off to the sky again.

We paused and looked at each other. Zelda came up to me. She grabbed my hands in her own and then gave me a small smile.

"I understand, Link." I returned the smile. We stayed like that for a few moments, then each of us looked away awkwardly until Zelda decided to speak. "Now…" Her tone got more teasing. "I think you should go get some food and then go to sleep!"

I grinned. "As if I don't already sleep a lot."

"Exactly!" She let go of my hands and then gave me a light push in the direction of the academy. I ran a hand through my dirty blonde hair and then walked back with Zelda. We didn't talk, but it was a comfortable silence.

I couldn't believe how quickly everything had happened. Everything was going to fast for me. One moment, I was tied to a bed, then I was in a totally different situation. I couldn't say that I liked it one bit. Why did everything have to be so confusing? If this really was where I was from…which was seeming more and more likely…then I suppose my life had always been messed up in some way. And now I was in a position that nobody should ever be in.

I had to figure out what I was going to do about Ghirahim. He was nuts. That was blatantly obvious from the start. But because he had an intelligent mind, he was a dangerous crazy person…er, demon. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I knew that I'd have to go with him either way. I knew that I'd probably go willingly-if there was such a thing right now. But what if I just didn't show up? Then I wouldn't have made the decision to get in his way, nor would I have gone with him.

Who was I kidding? He'd never leave me alone. Never. That was why he had to be stopped. And I was the one who was supposed to do that. But if I just didn't show up, then he'd probably go looking for me, and that would mean that I have more time to prepare…right? But he'd probably be angry if I wasn't there. Oh well.

Okay, I was decided. I wasn't going to show up at all. Ghirahim would have to get me himself. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going to go instead of my room, but I'd figure something out. It was probably a stupid decision, but nothing else came to mind.

"You're daydreaming again!" Zelda shook my arm lightly and I blinked.

"Huh?" I said.

She giggled. "You should get some rest."

"Yeah, I should." I mumbled, eyes half-closed. We returned to the academy after a brief chat with Orielle, who was heading home. I was a bit shocked at the contents of the conversation. Apparently, Zelda and Orielle were supposed to go on a picnic with together. Orielle had been looking for her all day...it was odd how Zelda had forgotten about it. But there was nothing that could be done now. We bid her good night, and then went to the academy.

Zelda smiled at me and I came with her to her door to say good night to her. She still seemed a bit concerned for me, about the memories that had flooded my mind, but they were not the biggest of my worries now that I had Ghirahim to contend with.

And all too soon, I was on my own.

The time really had flown by. I was still disoriented from the flashbacks. I hoped that I wouldn't get any others…at least not for a while.

But now I had to deal with some really important matters.

I went to my room and closed the door behind me before heading straight to the wardrobe. I opened it up and sifted through the clothes until I found what I was looking for: an identical green knight's uniform. It was a complete set. I opted to wear that and I changed quickly, then I hung up the beige shirt and the green pants in it's place. I thought it was funny that I had a duplicate. At least I didn't have to wash and mend my other one.

There. That was done. I put on the green floppy hat, which I was starting to like, and then slipped my hands into the gauntlets. Now I just needed to get my shield and sword…oh, yeah. I had almost forgotton.

I needed to get a new sword. I grabbed the scabbard. My mind was in a flurry as I raced out of the knight's academy, determined to be out of my room way before Ghirahim arrived. Once I got outside, my breath hitched. The air had cooled considerably and I shivered lightly before heading to the sparring hall. Fi pointed it out on my tour of Skyloft, so I knew that there were other swords there.

The sun was now set, yet there was still some light. I hoped that the sparring hall was still opened because I needed to get a sword…badly. Otherwise…well I knew that Ghirahim would be upset when he found that I was not there and he'd probably get violent when meeting again, so I needed to take precautions.

My footsteps made no sound as I ran to the sparring hall. I got to the entrance and went inside right away, glad that there was still a light on. It was quite spacious. I saw a burly man that was wearing some armour-like pieces with Skyloftian attire at the other end of the room. He was sorting through various weapons, occasionally examining the edges of the swords and sometimes taking a few swings with them, expertly chopping logs that were set up on the floor.

He raised his head when he noticed I had come in.

"Hey! It's Link!" He called over cheerfully, yet there was the unmistakable vibe that he had a place of importance at the academy. I went over to him.

"Hello…" I said meekly. I couldn't quite remember his name…was it…E…E-something…Eagle…no, no way…

I wracked my brain for his name. He had been in the changed world too. He was the coach of the football team, not that I was really into football. I wasn't really that big or tall for my age, so contact sports weren't my preference.

"What brings you here so late? You should be having your supper." He said to me. He lifted up a heavy-looking blade and then ran his finger over the edge very carefully, before putting it back down with some other large weapons. "Unless you decided to bring me some of my favorite pumpkin soup."

"Uh, well no. I need a sword. I was going to go to the Surface tomorrow." I said, thinking quickly, remembering Zelda…what was his name again…Ea…gus…Eagus…Yeah, that was it.

It was funny how my memories were getting easier to summon. If I thought hard enough, I could remember…mostly. Or I'd just be completely taken by a memory. Ugh.

"Well, sure I guess. But Link, I'd already lent out a sword to you when you were looking for your loftwing before the last wing ceremony." He replied. "And then you had that ancient sword of the chosen. You didn't lose that, surely?"

I looked down, "Um, well, I…I don't have them."

"I guess I could make another exception. But this is the last time."

"Thanks."

He headed to the back room and returned a moment later with an ordinary sword. Nothing compared to the goddess sword, but still good. He handed it to me and I took it. I held it in my right hand and weighed it before putting it in the sheath with minimal difficulty. I was getting better with it. I was still very upset about Fi, though. Nothing would change that. I had to find a way to get her back…

"What's the matter, Link? You don't seem your usual self." Eagus' voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Mm? Oh, nothing." I paused. "Could I do some training? I haven't practiced that much recently."

Eagus shook his head disapprovingly, "But practice is everything! You don't become a sword master sitting on your rear end."

I flushed. "I know. I just haven't been…"

"Well, I'll be here for a while, so if there's anything you don't understand about handling a sword, go ahead and ask. Try getting in some good practice on those logs!" He gestured to the logs that were set up in the room and I bit my lip before heading over to practise. Perhaps muscle memory would serve me well, like it had for the flying.

/

"That's right Link! How about we end it on that?" Eagus said to me. I smiled and nodded.

"Sure. Thanks for letting me train. I know it's late and all…."

He waved his hand nonchalantly. "No, it was no trouble at all. Now you should go to bed. It's getting late. I'll be heading in soon, too."

Oh…oops. Going to bed? More like meeting with the devil.

"Okay. Thanks for the time." I waved and left.

Goddess…how could I have forgotten?

I exited the sparring hall. My training had actually gone well. It wasn't that eventful, I guess. It had passed too quickly for my liking, though. How come when you're dreading something, it always would come all too soon, but when you're actually looking forward to something, then time drags on?

Ah, well, but back to the training. My body seemed to remember everything, so it wasn't really that bad. I was surprising myself. It was as though I was transforming into someone else. Someone that really was a hero.

But I had honestly forgotten about Ghirahim. I wasn't sure what I should do now. I had made up my mind not to go, but I was doubting my decision more and more as time passed. It had to be 9pm by now, and I only had three more hours before midnight. What was I supposed to do? Perhaps if I completely 'disappeared' from the face of the earth?

That would certainly solve my problems. There wasn't anywhere that was a good enough hiding place, though. Ghirahim was probably watching me now.

I shuddered and scolded myself for creeping me out. As if I needed a stalker on my hands, too-oh, wait. I already had one.

I sighed and then was about to return to the academy when I saw the stars in the sky. They weren't the same looking as the ones in the changed world, but they still were comforting. When I was in the changed world, I used to look at the stars to calm myself down at night when I was upset about anything…

Unless that, too, was a fake memory.

Either way, I liked the way that they shone…

Not even paying attention to what I was doing, I found myself walking around aimlessly. The sun had set, so it was getting dark. I had a feeling that I wasn`t supposed to be outside after hours, but it beat having to go meet a demon in your room. I was sure that people would understand if they knew my situation.

I wandered around Skyloft. It was larger than I'd given it credit for. I found myself nearing a large pond. The water was like black silk in the darkness and I found it oddly alluring. I went over to the edge and saw some stepping stones. They seemed safe enough, so I jumped to one, then to the next. I did this until I reached the other side of the pond.

There were two trees here and a platform that hung over the sky, probably for jumping off of. There was a path that wound up to my right, but I didn't bother going there. I was fine where I was.

I went over to one of the trees and sat down, leaning against the bark. It was nice here. Maybe I'd just sleep outside tonight, that way I'd avoid Ghirahim and I'd get to see the stars…hmm that sounded like a good way to spend the night.

I felt a bit like a rebel tonight, and I knew I wasn't supposed to be outside in the first place, but I was too anxious about Ghirahim to care. He would arrive, wait, and then do whatever the heck he does in his spare time-which seemed like stalking me was at the top of that list-but I wasn't going to go meet him, and I wasn't going to make any kind of decision. He could deal with that. Whether he freaked out or now wouldn't be my problem.

I got comfortable near the tree, and took out my sword. I held it in my right hand, just in case he came and found me. He'd have to watch out. I was getting my memories back, and soon I wouldn't be as easy an opponent as he thought. He'd have to be careful.

I only hoped that he didn't sneak up on me unexpectedly in the night. How ironic would that be? My luck hadn't been that good recently, and I didn't want to push it, so I decided that it was best not to anger him any more than I had already.

Heck, if I got him more irritated at me, then things could be a whole lot worse.

Now, hopefully I wouldn't get attacked by a rabid animal in the middle of the night or kidnapped by a creepy demon. Then I'd be good.

**/**

**A/N: Hey, did you figure out that the "rabid animal in the middle of the night" was a remlit (like Gaepora's remlit Mia)? Lol. **

**Well, hope you liked the chapter. Some parts were a bit rushed, so I apologize if it was a bit confusing at some points.**

**I've been really busy recently, so I haven't been able to focus properly on this story. My brother had his high school grad (and somehow he had an average mark of 97%-don't ask. I don't know how it happened), I had my last exam, and then I have to go to my cottage tomorrow...**

**And...there's no Wi-Fi there. :( I'll try to post chapters when I have good internet connection and in the meantime, I'll be writing ahead so that I can post quickly when I get back. I'm sorry about this. But at least I'll have lots of time to write. It's finally summer break for me! XD**

**My cottage is an 8 hour drive away and I'll probably be there for a few weeks if I'm guessing right. We'll see what happens.**

**Now please review, my lovelies! You know you want to. ;)**

**Bye bye! I hope I can update soon!**


	11. Task

**A/N: Yay! I finally got to update (and post a fluffy Ghiralink oneshot called "Never Heartless").**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Um, so enjoyyy, you person.**

**/**

"Ow…" I groaned as a bright light hit my eyelids, turning everything red.

I reached up and blocked the light with my hand, then I forced myself to open my eyes, even though I probably could have slept for another three hours.

What I saw didn't surprise me.

I was outside. It was good I hadn't forgotten, because then I'd have probably freaked out…but no, I remembered what happened.

Ignoring my protesting muscles, I got to my feet and stretched, yawning sleepily before blinking again. I brushed off the skirt of my tunic and adjusted my hat. I looked around lazily. The sun was rising in a blue sky, a light breeze whispered past. I looked back at the sun scornfully before glancing away when my eyes stung.

The sun had woken me up. Typical. But I didn't mind today, like I would have most other days. I was going to the Surface with Zelda and I wanted to go find her. I was actually pretty excited about it; finding out what's underneath the clouds.

_Sky child…_

"What!?" I jumped a foot in the air, all thoughts about the Surface flying out of my head. Who had just said that?

I turned around, searching wildly for a few minutes. I swear I heard someone…

But there was nobody there. I relaxed visibly, but a seed of doubt settled in my mind, making me feel more anxious. It must have just been the wind…or something. Probably just a figment of my imagination…whatever. It was funny how I'd forgotten about Ghirahim. I wondered how he was faring with me not showing up.

He was probably furious…outraged…maybe even sick with anger…

Wait…where did I hear that before?

I frowned at the way my mind was all over the place this morning and then grabbed my shield, which had fallen off, as well as my sword, which had been held loosely in my hand throughout the night. I sheathed it and then put on the shield clumsily, still tired and feeling uncoordinated.

I tried to get my thoughts in order as I jumped over the stepping stones, almost losing my footing one time. I was never very balanced in the mornings. And my thoughts never failed to be completely and hopelessly jumbled for the first few minutes.

My feet lead me to the academy and I went inside without a moment's hesitation. I went to the washroom to clean up, then I went to my room feeling much more aware of my surroundings. I had had a quick bath and now I was feeling very refreshed. My hair still dripped water into the collar of both my undershirt and my tunic, though. But I didn't let it get to me. I never bothered to dry my hair properly anyways.

I was about to go in to my room when I remembered that I didn't even have to. I had no reason.

So I left, heading right back outside. I didn't really feel like going to my room if Ghirahim was just waiting there. It wouldn't be a nice surprise. Last time, when he'd been in my room…well, I didn't feel like having a repeat of that incident. Or the physical violations that had happened earlier. I could still feel his touch…

It was disgusting, but for some reason, my body didn't think so. I wasn't able to make myself feel anywhere near as good as Ghirahim had been capable of doing.

That idea made me shudder and I made sure to banish any other thoughts concerning him from my mind. I didn't really feel like thinking about him. If he wanted me to come back with him that badly, he'd have to work harder.

Not that I really wanted him to. I had actually expected him to come and kidnap me while I was sleeping. But he didn't. The worst thing that happened in the night was when a strange cat-like thing pounced on me when I was sleeping. Its claws were sharp, too. I managed to fend it off and then I tossed it over the edge of Skyloft in the heat of the moment. Harsh?

Nah. It just flew back up anyways. And besides: I was never in a good mood when strange creatures woke me up and attacked me. Seriously.

I had thought it was Ghirahim at first, so I jumped into action really quickly. I noticed right away that it wasn't him, but still. I was paranoid. Good thing that Ghirahim really didn't kidnap me.

What made me nervous especially was that I never knew what he was up to. It was disconcerting how he always seemed to be a step ahead of me. He never did what I expected of him.

"Hey Link!" I heard someone call my name and I looked around, mildly surprised to have arrived on the plaza. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't paid attention to my surroundings. I saw Orielle waving at me and I waved back before joining her.

"Hey." I replied, reaching up to squeeze the tendrils of my still-wet hair. A small amount of water dripped to the ground.

"I didn't expect to see you up this early." She commented, stepping back slightly as the water hit the ground. I blushed and dried my hands off on my tunic. "I thought you'd be sleeping in."

"Heh, well I'd have liked to, but I was going to the Surface with Zelda today, and I wanted to get up earlier."

Orielle frowned. "But I thought she was going to the Lumpy Pumpkin with Karane."

"The what?" I stared blankly for a second before moving on, not expecting a response. Whatever the Lumpy Pumpkin was…well that wasn't really important. I'd remember sometime later. "Well anyways, Zelda told me that we were going to the Surface today."

"That's not what she told me. She said that she'd be going to the Lumpy Pumpkin and then she and Karane were going to hang out with Kina."

It was my turn to frown. Neither of us spoke for a few moments. Then I broke the silence. "Didn't you say that Zelda was planning on having a picnic with you yesterday?"

She nodded. "Yes, she was. She's been getting very forgetful recently."

I nodded and then more silence ensued. It didn't really seem like, well, Zelda to be forgetting things left and right. At least not the Zelda from the changed world, and that was kinda like an incarnation of this one, so they had to be similar in some ways.

But maybe it was Hylia that was causing Zelda's forgetfulness. Perhaps she was trying to warn Zelda of Ghirahim or something. No. I couldn't let Zelda know. I could handle this by myself. I didn't want everyone to be freaking out. Ghirahim would probably do something really radical if that were the case…hold people for ransom unless I agreed to be his slave or something like that…ugh.

"Well, you can still go to the Surface either way." Orielle interrupted my thoughts. I nodded.

"Yeah. I think I'll go now actually. Did you want to come, too?" She shook her head.

"Sorry, I was going to ask Pipit about something I heard last night. It sounded like a remlit attacked someone. Pip's on night duty, so he might know what happened."

The corner of my mouth twitched slightly. So that was a remlit…that thing that pounced on me…Ha! I had the urge to laugh, but I resisted it. Instead, I nodded again. "Oh, okay. Well, I'll be going. See you."

Orielle smiled at me and then waved as I headed off. I waved briefly, then jogged to the edge of Skyloft. A smile formed on my lips at the thought of the remlit and the thought of going to the Surface. My curiosity had been piqued and now it had to be satisfied.

Maybe I'd find some more information on Fi's whereabouts when I got there.

I sped up and then leapt into the air, assuming sky diving position. Doing this felt natural already, and how I wasn't even the least bit afraid was something to be happy about. I was definitely becoming a different person with every moment. I wasn't afraid either. If this was who I was, then I would embrace that.

Regardless of how terribly cliché I'd sound…I was on a journey of self-discovery.

I laughed out loud, then whistled for my crimson loftwing. The graceful red plumed bird swooped underneath me just in time for me to grasp the feathers in my hands. I tightened my hold and then leaned forward to get more comfortable.

"Now which way is Hyrule…?" I muttered absent-mindedly. I furrowed my brows and scanned the sky and its abundant fluffy white clouds. I squinted against the constant breeze.

There were the tell-tale patches of dark among the white expanse and I suspected that those were places where the clouds broke. Perhaps I could see down below if I flew over a cloudless area.

I urged my loftwing to do so and I looked down.

Green…trees, probably…

"But where is Hyrule?" I mumbled to myself…

My loftwing suddenly turned to the right, and I found myself flying on a slightly different course. Oh. So my bird probably knew where it was. That was convenient.

My loftwing swooped lower, so that its claws skimmed over the white fog and then approached a break in the field of clouds. We flew down and I gasped, feeling like a diver as we went straight down towards the ground. I tightened my hold on the feathers and hoped that my hat wouldn't fall off. That would be a shame if I lost it and had to go looking for it.

I squinted against the rush of air and observed the area under the clouds.

Trees. Lots of them. But I could also see a large gray thing. It stood tall and proud, near another structure. An old stone building. I couldn't quite see the details yet, but it looked like the building that I had gone to when in the woods behind my house in the changed world. Hmmm.

Within a few moments, I could make out a bunch of other small structures that were near the gray statue thing, and the other older building. They were probably houses and other buildings.

We got nearer and landed beside the statue, of what was a woman. It was massive and stretched high into the sky.

_Hylia…_

So that had to be a statue made to honor the goddess. There had been one in the changed world, too.

As for the other building; it was definitely designed the same as the one where I found Fi, before the trip to this world. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Jumping from my loftwing, I gave it a pet on the beak and then it flew back into the sky. I turned my attention to the village being built here.

I could see a few people working on a building nearby. I swallowed nervously when I recognised them. They were Groose, Cawlin and Stritch. Sure they looked slightly different than in the changed world, but they still were…well…they still were partly themselves.

I didn't really feel like dealing with them. They used to pick on me and I didn't know if my relationship with them here was anything like my relationship with them in the change world. It didn't seem in my best interests to find out-

"Hey Link! Over here!" My eyes widened by the slightest bit when I saw Groose wave at me. He grinned and my feet rooted to the ground.

He didn't _seem_ to dislike me…and so…perhaps it was okay to say hi back. What if he was my friend here? That would be such irony.

"Link!" He called again, stopping his work for a moment. He reached up and ran a hand over his red hair that was carefully sculpted into a pompadour. Some things hadn't changed. He waved at me again, gesturing me to come over.

I forced my feet to move and I walked over to where they were building the frame of a house. Cawlin, who was short-for once, someone that's shorter than me-looked up and gave me a dirty look. I frowned-What was his problem?-and then glanced at Stritch.

He brushed some dust off of his blue Skyloftian attire and blinked at me with neither a mean look nor a friendly one. Okay then…

Meanwhile, Groose was carefully fixing his hair, putting one red strand of hair back in place. He looked down at me with his golden-ish eyes.

"How's everything with you, Link?" He asked. Well, at least he was friendly with me here. It made a strange pang of homesickness run through my body. I knew that I didn't miss the constant teasing that I had been subjected to in the changed world, but I also now knew that those times had not really happened-those memories were fake.

And yet, seeing Groose and his cronies, yet not seeing the ones I remembered…it made me feel nostalgic and kinda lonely. I was basically homesick for something that never was my home…I was lonely since I was the only one here who knew about their lives in the changed world.

And if the changed world really did exist as a parallel universe to this one, then wouldn't Zelda be still missing me?

I shook my head by a fraction, not wanting to look strange to Groose and the others.

"Uh, everything's fine." I tried not to wince at the sound of my own voice. I must sound really dumb sometimes. I had a tendency to daydream, and so I would sound a bit vacant when answering after periods of silence. It was a bad habit. "And you?"

"Oh, the usual. We're just helping with Hyrule. I gotta say; it's coming along very well." He looked around with an air of accomplishment.

"Yeah."

Groose looked back at me. "Did you come by yourself?"

"Yeah." I said again, my moment of nostalgia past. "Zelda was going to come, but she had other commitments..."

He nodded and then grinned at me. "I don't know if you've heard, but me and my buddies built a house for you while you were away."

I froze. "What?! Really?" Okay, this was very unexpected. I must have a lot of friends here. Either that, or everyone was just really nice. But then again, who wouldn't build a house for the hero? Oh, shut up, Link…no need to get cocky about it…

"Yep. It's right over there." He pointed towards the edge of the growing village to a small house set up. It was in a more private area than the others and I had to confess that I loved it. It was perfect.

"Oh gosh…thanks so much…" I breathed. I tore my gaze from the house and then looked back at Groose. "Thank you."

"Pssh." He waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "No problem. Zelda was the one who suggested it. She even gave us the idea for the location. I agree with her in that you'd probably prefer some space, instead of everyone crowding around you. You deserve it."

I blushed. "Well, this means a lot…"

"Oh, Link! No need to get all sentimental. Why don't you go check it out?"

I grinned. "Okay. See you guys later."

That was all the encouragement I needed. I headed over to the house and then opened the door right away and grinned. I loved its simplicity. It wasn't anything to gawk at, but it was perfect. There was a bedroom, a bathroom, and another room that served as a kitchen and a dining room, with a fireplace and a few other pieces of furniture.

I beamed around, gratefulness practically emanating off of me in waves. I couldn't express my thanks in full.

_Sky child, you have the most wonderful smile…_

"Who said that?!" I whipped around in shock, my heart speeding up suddenly. What was my problem? Why did I have to keep imagining things like this? It was freaking me out…

Thank goddess that Ghirahim wasn't really here. That would probably kill me…I was way too paranoid for my own good. Heck, I was freaking myself out more than Ghirahim was. And he wasn't even here! Hopefully he wouldn't…come after me with a vengeance for not showing up when I was supposed to…

Geez…

I took a few breaths to relax and then picked up the key that I noticed sitting on the table in the multi-purpose room. I stuffed it in one of the pouches at my belt, surprised when my hand bumped into something else. I must have other items in the pockets.

Curious, I emptied the contents and watched in shock as I removed various items…a slingshot…a weird metal beetle thing…a bug net…various red, green and blue gem-like objects…a whip, even…and a few bombs. And that wasn't even counting all the other things that I found!

There was a strange contraption thing that seemed to blow out air, a harp, a cloth-like thing, some strange gloves, various relics, bottles with multi-colored liquids and contents, two claw contraptions…a lot of other weird things, too.

How they all succeeded in fitting in the pouches was beyond me. It made no logical sense. Neither did the fact that they didn't even add extra weight. I smiled in disbelief, my moment of wariness behind me. I removed a map and kept it out as I proceeded to put the other objects all back into the pouches again. Then I dropped the key in as well.

I now held the map, smoothing out its creases on the tabletop. I looked down at it and tried to figure out where I was on it. There was a greenish area labelled as the Sealed Grounds, right near the words Faron Woods. I had to be in either of those locations, seeing as the other place names didn't describe the current climate…

I mean, Lanayru_ Desert?_ Well, last I checked…I wasn't in a desert.

I examined the map for a few more moments, but then I noticed something odd. One of the sectors was glowing. It was pulsating with a strange light. I read the label; the Eldin Province.

Hmm…wasn't that where I had gone to confront Ghirahim when I found out he was still alive?

Just then, a quiet monotonous voice rang out. "Master Link."

My eyes darted up from the map and I wildly spun around, recognizing the speaker immediately. "Fi!?"

"Master, I am not physically present."

I stopped my frantic searching and my shoulders slumped. "So where are you?"

"I am speaking in your mind, but I cannot stay for long, as the distance between our locations is great. You can speak through your mind and do not have to verbalize your questions."

Oh. So then how on earth was this working? And where was she?

"I do not know my current location, however the bond between us is thin, meaning that the distance is great. I will not be able to communicate for long because it takes a lot of energy in such circumstances."

'What should I do then?' I thought.

"You must travel to the Eldin Province. I suspect that the dragon, Eldin, will have heard about the incident with Ghirahim. He may have information of his whereabouts and residence."

'Wait…a dragon?'

"Yes, master. I calculate a 92% probability that you will remember about him when you are in his presence. He will likely have information to share with you. I also highly advise you to keep your fireshield earrings on when approaching the Eldin Volcano."

I reached up and touched the left earring. 'These? The red ones I'm wearing?'

"Affirmative. They will let you withstand extreme temperatures. They remained unchanged after the incident with Lord Ghirahim. I would also recommend bringing lots of drinking water with you. It will be very hot in this region." She said.

I nodded at the obvious statement. "Thank you, Fi. I suppose my loftwing will know how to get there?"

"Yes, your loftwing will know the location, however because of the heat, he will not want to land so you will have to use your sailcloth, which is the piece of square fabric in your adventure pouch. I recommend that you leave shortly."

'Okay. I hope I can see you soon Fi. You don't know how tough it is without you."

'I would hope so, too.'

Her voice faded out and I blinked a few times to focus myself at the task at hand. So I had to go to the Eldin Province…and I had to see a dragon, who would help me find Fi and Ghirahim. Okay. At least I had a place to start.

I made sure to pack everything back into the pouches properly and then I looked around the kitchen for something I could fill with water.

I found a flask soon enough, and I ended up exiting the house to get water. There had to be a water pump somewhere…

Rounding the corner of the house, I saw a pump and I only hoped its water was drinkable. I filled up the flask and stuck it in the pouch. But I'd probably take another just for extra water.

Returning to the house, I found a second flask and I filled it up quickly too, placing it in the pouch at my hip.

Now I was all ready to go. After all, I didn't have any other commitments today and this was pretty important.

A strange rustling sound made me spin around. I was behind the house, closest to what I guessed was Faron Woods. It was pretty open, just like it had been in my dream so long ago. Images of blood flashed in my mind and I winced.

I wondered idly whether there were funny little animals like the one in my dream that lived there…

Curious as ever, I decided to head into the woods to explore a bit. I could postpone my trip to the Eldin Province for a little longer. Besides, that rustling sound made me anxious, and I wanted to find out what had made it.

I trekked down what seemed like the main path and just looked around lazily for a few moments. I wandered farther down the path until the house wasn't visible anymore. There was a faint rustling sound again and I froze. What was making that sound?

I turned around and scanned the undergrowth for a few moments.

"Who's there?" I called softly.

Ghirahim immediately popped into my head, but I shoved the thought away. It probably wasn't him. He wasn't that loud.

There was no answer so I continued walking down through the woods.

Another rustle was enough to really make me paranoid.

"Okay, it's not funny. Whoever's there, show yourself!" I said more firmly, looking around in the forest. The woods were open enough that I should have been able to see anything hiding there…so why didn't I see what was making that sound?

A piece of grass moved slightly and I a grin broke out on my face.

Oh.

So those little creatures did exist…hmm…

I approached the tuft of grass. It was trembling ever so slightly. I knelt down nearby.

"Hey there…" I said to the leafy patch. "I know you're there. You don't have to hide from me."

It shivered and I reached over to pat it gently. The moment my hand made contact with the leaves, it sprang up and they retracted into a little ball.

I was right. It was exactly like that little creature in that dream I'd had. I only hoped that the rest of the dream wouldn't play out. I really didn't want to have to see that…

The little animals' pointed nose twitched. "Wait…kwee…I know you…" The little curly leaf at the top of its head swayed lightly as it looked at me curiously.

I blinked. "You do?"

"Kee-paleep! Don't you remember me? I'm Machi the Kikwi."

A faint memory tugged at my consciousness. I vaguely remembered Machi…Didn't I have to find him and-and a bunch of others…?

Erla…Lopsa…Oolo? Those were the others-the other Kikwis I had to find…in order to get…something.

The slingshot? Was that it?

And…who was it…?

Bucha. Yes. And Bucha gave me the slingshot. Okay. I sort of remembered. I had to admit that it was sort of fun to dig up memories like that.

I nodded. "Yeah, I do remember you. How has everything been for you guys?"

"Oh, everything's been terrible!" He said. My brows knit together in worry.

"Why? What's happened?"

"Kwee, there have been monsters everywhere! Have you seen any?"

I shook my head. "No…"

"They're terrifying! Please do something about them!"

Biting my lip, I looked around cautiously, almost as if one of these 'monsters' was going to jump out from behind a mushroom or something. "Don't worry Machi. I'll help. But right now, I have something really important to do. I promise I'll come back soon and I'll get rid of them."

The Kikwi nodded. "Okay. Thank you! I'll tell the others. Bye!"

"Yeah, I'll come back soon!" It waved its short arm at me and then started to head farther into the woods. I turned around and started to head back to my house. This time, I wasn't as relaxed. If what Machi said was true, then I'd have to be more careful just in case.

On the way, I saw some large yellow fruits growing in the trees. I took out my slingshot and shot one of them down before breaking it into smaller pieces and eating it.

It was surprisingly good. I ate it as I headed back. I hadn't eaten in so long. The juice dripped dorm my chin and I wiped it off with my hand.

When the forest started to thin out more, I found that I could see the edge of my house. I jogged past it and into the area where Groose and his buddies could still be seen working. Groose waved to me as I passed.

Now. I just had to get my loftwing and I'd be good. But how exactly was I supposed to summon my bird?

_A bird statue…_

I frowned at the sudden realization and went to what I seemed to know was a bird statue. I didn't really like how I seemed to know what to do when a second earlier I was clueless.

My thoughts trailed off and I went to the nearest statue. It glowed slightly when I came near it and I took out my sail cloth and touched the statue. A funny tingling ran through my finger tips and then a gust of wind spiraled upwards. I gasped in slight surprise, but listened to my instincts.

I held out the sail cloth and let the wind carry me up into the sky. It was a funny weightlessness sensation as I was carried up higher. Good thing I remembered some things, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get back to the sky.

But if I was the only one with a sail cloth, then how did the others get back to Skyloft? Unless they had sail cloths too…

Frowning slightly, I whistled for my bird when I was high enough. That question would have to wait.

I landed on my loftwing easily enough and voiced where I wanted to go. If Fi said my loftwing would know where…then I'd be all set.

"Okay buddy." I said to the bird. I gripped the feathers tightly in my hands as we flew higher up in the sky. "We have to go to the Eldin Province. Do you know where that is?"

A gentle squawk was what I got in response, and I took it as a yes. My crimson loftwing started to head over to another area in the clouds. It wasn't that far away and we arrived there quickly. I glanced down.

Underneath us was what looked like a volcano and bunch of bright red and orange patches. Perhaps it was lava. Heat radiated up to us and my loftwing flew up a bit higher.

Oh goddess…was I honestly expected to…jump down into that place? What if I jumped at the wrong time and ended up in the lava?

I took a deep breath and leapt from my loftwing, a blast of warm air hitting me as the ground came nearer and nearer. Hopefully I'd find that dragon soon. I really didn't feel like taking my time here. Not when I was beginning to get the uncanny feeling that someone was watching me.

**/**

**A/N: Okay, I'm not actually back from my cottage, so I made sure to post this at a place with free internet. :) **

**But I can't promise that Chapter 12 will be up soon, so I apologize if there's a longer wait than usual.**

**Please review! :D**


	12. Paranoia

**A/N: Hello again! I've returned home and have internet now! *Oh yeah...* The only issue: I'm going back to my summer cottage in a week, which means (again) limited internet. But while I'm here, I just had to post something :D Ahaha.**

**Anyway, this chapter has a bit of a time skip, too.**

**And thank you to everyone who favorited, and followed! Especially thank you to Shadoween, Freya the Mistwolf, HappyCat, and Butler-in-Black for reviewing last chapter! Cookies for you! *tries unsuccessfully to shove cookies into computer screen* Or not. :D**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Warning: There is sexual content near the end of this chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**/**

Well…I wasn't very pleased with how everything had gone.

Let's just say that I didn't enjoy my time in the Eldin Province. First: I got burns everywhere. I mean, when I took out my sword to fight off this weird red creature with a club, the hilt _burned me! _(Oh, and had I mentioned that my _metal_ shield inflicted numerous minor burns on me as well?). Nothing serious, just annoying burns. More uncomfortable than painful.

Needless to say…it wasn't fun. I was glad that it was only my fingers that got burnt-not the palms of my hands, but that was if I was being optimistic. But thank goddess for gauntlets-although they had their drawbacks too, namely the fact that my hands were sweating and the glove's confines didn't allow for them to breathe properly.

_And what about chainmail? That heated up my whole body!_ At least my arms and legs were okay-to an extent. My whole body was practically drenched in sweat, too.

Gross. Really gross. First thing I did when I returned was take a _cool _bath. How I wish there were real, legitimate showers…still…no more heat for me.

Next up on the list of why my trip to the Eldin Province hadn't been good was that I had almost killed myself by falling in lava numerous times-too many times to keep track of. I guess that I should have expected it. It _was_ near (and in) a volcano after all…

But I probably would have been happier nevertheless if I didn't keep hallucinating about Ghirahim. I swore it happened at least 20 times. I'd think he's standing somewhere, or that he's saying something, or _whatever, _and then I'd realize that he never was there. Sheesh, talk about creepy.

But that was all in my head. Physically, I didn't feel great, if you know what I mean.

Moreover, at least I hadn't gotten heat stroke. And more importantly: at least I wore the earrings. Otherwise I probably would have died. They also kept my burns to a safe-ish level. Another thing to be grateful for amidst a bunch of not so nice things; like getting lost over and over…and over again.

It took me all day to find the dragon. And there was no food to eat there either. And my water ran out.

About the 'getting lost' thing. Heheh, well I kept having to consult the map…and I wasn't the best with maps either. If only I had Fi helping.

When I _finally _found the dragon in question, I wasn't in the least bit relieved.

Apparently, I was supposed to go back to Faron Woods to see the water dragon because there were increased sightings of bokoblins there. I only assumed that bokoblins were those red creatures. They looked like they fit the name, not to mention that I had vague memories of them.

But I mean, after all that, I was told to go back? I could have figured out all this from the Kikwis!

I sighed in exasperation at the uselessness of the whole excursion. It was a waste of time and effort and I didn't feel that great now either. Certainly not well enough to see any other dragon right away.

If I was optimistic, I'd say it was a good experience. I mean, I did get to meet another species, the mogmas, and also a dragon, for Nayru's sake! But...eh...I was dead tired right now and I didn't feel like expressing optimism.

I was at my home on the Surface currently and was resting. I had stripped off all my gear and clothes except for my pants and was sitting on the edge of my bed feeling bad for myself.

I looked down at my now bare hands and grimaced when I saw pink burns on them. Why did this feel familiar?

I answered my own question; because I had confronted Ghirahim in the cursed Eldin Province (I suppose it could be nice there if you were prepared for the heat, which I was not) and because I had probably gone there in my previous journey. So I was probably in the same shape afterwards.

Ugh. I only hoped that this was the last time. A volcano wasn't hospitable for humans.

Groaning in discomfort, I flexed my fingers when an idea struck me. Wasn't there something I could do to alleviate the pain and to heal the burns quickly, even if they were minor?

I jumped to my feet all of a sudden, ignoring the slight pain that shot through my limbs, and I grabbed the belt that was lying across the back of a chair. I stuffed my hand in one of the pouches and felt around for a few moments until my fingers wrapped around something.

I pulled it out and grinned when I found that it was a bottle filled with red bubbly liquid. This was a healing potion. It had to be. I could remember vaguely drinking this on my journey. I was remembering stuff way more easily now.

Uncorking the bottle, I downed the contents in a few big gulps, smacking my lips together when I finished.

There. Now something had to happen.

A second passed and then a tingling ran through my body, starting at the tips of my fingers. I looked at my hands to see the burned areas healing themselves quickly and efficiently. Within a few moments, I was completely healed and not sun burnt either.

The buzzing feeling vanished and soon I felt perfectly fine. My discomfort was gone.

"There, now I'm good…" I mumbled to myself. I stuffed the now empty bottle back into the pouch and rubbed my eyes, feeling sleepy. It was probably around dinnertime again and I hadn't eaten since the yellow fruit I found in Faron Woods this morning. Heck, ever since I'd arrived here-in this other world-I'd been hungry all the time.

I really had to take better care of myself.

I had already gotten a stalker-ahem, Ghirahim, been molested by said stalker, barely eaten anything, and got a bunch of minor burns. All within a short few days.

This day trip thing took a whole day. A whole day-gone. And I hadn't even kept myself well-fed, let alone properly hydrated. I couldn't possibly have been thinking. Stupid novice mistakes.

A knock on the door alerted me and I hastily grabbed my white undershirt. I had actually gotten the energy to wash the clothes earlier and had left them to dry. At least I made one good decision.

I slipped on the shirt, which was still slightly damp, and then ran my fingers through my hair, walking to the door.

I opened it to see Zelda. She raised her eyebrows when she saw how exhausted I looked, but she tried to sound nonchalant.

"Hey Link. Where've you been?"

I laughed awkwardly. "Heh, I, uh…went to the Eldin Province to finish some business"

"Oh, that explains the…um…that explains why you look so worn out." Zelda said. She smiled at me in a way that said 'you really shouldn't push yourself so hard'. "Anyways, I thought you'd be here. I was looking for you in Skyloft after I went to the Lumpy Pumpkin."

"Really?" I brushed some hair out of my eyes.

"Yeah, and Link? I'm really sorry about not coming with you. I completely forgot." She smiled apologetically. "I had planned to hang out with Kina and Karane for a while and I forgot that I was going to the Surface with you…I've been feeling kind of strange come to think of it. Like I'm forgetting something all the time. It's been distracting me."

I shrugged, disregarding the last comment. "It's okay. I had stuff I had to do anyways. Did you have a good time?"

Zelda's eyes unclouded and she nodded. "Hmm? Yeah, we did. I haven't seen Kina in a while, so it went quite well. But…I felt a bit off the whole time. It's hard to explain. I feel as if something's going to happen, but I just don't know what. It's like someone's trying to warn me about something."

"Well, you've been pretty busy, and establishing Hyrule is hard work for all of us. And you've been really spreading yourself out-y'know, you're trying to be everywhere at once and to do too much." My suspicions were right. Hylia _had_ to be trying to tell Zelda about Ghirahim's plans. I honestly didn't know if I wanted her to know. Maybe it'd be better if she did…but at the same time, I didn't want her to worry about it.

And what could she do about it anyway? Ghirahim could just kidnap her again or something, goddess incarnate or not.

"Perhaps you're right." Zelda shook her head in a dismissive way and then met my gaze. "But I'm getting off topic." She laughed lightly. "Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about not coming with you this morning. It's really uncharacteristic of me to forget these kinds of things."

"No, you don't have to apologize. It's alright."

Zelda grinned. "I'm glad you understand." She clasped her hands together. "Uh, I also came because I wanted to ask you something…"

I looked at her expectantly. "Hmm?"

"Well, tomorrow…" Zelda paused and I gave her an encouraging look at the hesitation. She grinned back. ", did you want to come with me to somewhere near Lake Floria for a picnic-or something?" She fiddled with the hem of her dress.

I thought for a moment. I was going to see the water dragon, Faron, so I'd have to set aside some time to do that. And she was probably at Lake Floria (since she was a _water _dragon), so I could go there ahead of time-to just observe the area, scout out the land, hypothetically, so I wouldn't get completely lost when searching later on…

"Sure, that's a great idea." I replied. Zelda smiled warmly.

"Okay, so this time I won't forget. I'm pretty sure that I don't have any other things arranged for tomorrow, so I guess I'll meet you…at the goddess statue at noon? Is that okay? I'll bring food, too."

"Yeah that's fine."

"Well, I have to go now, Link. My father wanted me back in for dinner. He says there have been more bokoblins here recently, and he doesn't want me to be outside after hours. So bye! I'll see you tomorrow!" With that, she waved cheerfully and ran off farther into the growing village. She rounded the corner of a house and then I lost sight of her.

Okay then-I sure had everything planned out for me.

I closed the door and returned to my room. I grabbed my belt on the way and then rummaged through the pouches until I found the map. I kind of wanted an idea of where I was going tomorrow. I crawled onto the bed and let myself relax after putting the belt away.

I smoothed the paper out and then lay down on my stomach. The damp shirt was getting on my nerves so I took it off swiftly and then tossed it so that it landed on the back of the chair my belt was on. Now I looked back at the map laid out in front of me, resting on the pillow.

I searched for the words "Lake Floria". I had seen it earlier when I was examining the map, but hadn't really paid attention to it.

"Lake Floria…Lake Floria…Aha!" Triumphantly, I placed my finger on the label. Apparently, Lake Floria was at the far southern end of Faron Woods. We'd have to travel through Faron Woods to the east, then south. I had figured out by now that we were in the edge of Faron Woods, at the Sealed Grounds. It only made sense.

But weren't there a lot of bokoblins in the woods? Then it would be dangerous to walk there. Zelda and I would probably take our loftwings.

The only thing I was worried about was what if Ghirahim came and kidnapped Zelda while we were having our picnic or something? I would try to fight him off probably, but I was still learning the ropes around here. I was still good with a sword, I figured out yesterday night.

But was 'good' good enough? Ghirahim would surely be better…but only because he at least had all his memories. He'd remember my style of fighting, whereas I wouldn't remember his right away. Complete disadvantage.

I frowned, but the worrying thoughts soon vanished as I folded the map and started to relax.

Feeling bored, I decided to rest, so I put my map away. It had been an exhausting and physically taxing day and I really didn't feel up for doing anything else. If anything, I just wanted to sleep. I'd eat more in the morning, even though I'd hardly eaten today.

The red potion seemed to give me energy so I was feeling much better as it also seemed to satiate my hunger. And besides, I was too worn out to get myself actual food. Boy, was I letting myself go? Or was it just the stress of the whole situation.

It was probably the latter. I couldn't recall eating a lot when I was on my quest. I probably drank those red potions to satisfy my hunger. And the green potion…that was a…

What was it…? A stamina potion?

Yes. I probably drank lots of stamina potions, too in order to keep myself energetic and, well, awake. I fought the urge to laugh when I realized that in the changed world, stamina potions would probably be called steroids or something.

That sure told me how different life here was. People here weren't going to use stamina potions for bad things. Everyone here was so much more…_innocent._

In a way.

Well, not everybody. Ghirahim sure wasn't.

Flashbacks on his violations flooded my mind the moment he popped into my head and I rubbed my temples trying to forget what had happened. It had been so recent, too.

But ever since then, I'd been trying to forget about it. That time was something that I didn't really want to remember. I didn't want to have to remember what he had done because my body had betrayed me. I knew that it had only happened once, but I also knew that he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

What made me nervous was that I knew that my body would behave the same way as it had that one time.

And if he dared to go any further with his _groping _and _molesting, _then it would definitely constitute as a verifiable rape.

The word sent shivers of revulsion down through my spine. Oddly enough, when Ghirahim had intruded vastly into my personal space, my body hadn't minded really. It had almost wanted it after the initial disgust.

I wasn't in the least bit experienced in those fields, but I sure knew that it wasn't something that you'd want done to you in that manner. I didn't _ask _to be tied to a bed and touched so intimately. I didn't _ask _for lascivious gratification.

It was not fair how he had subjected me to that, regardless of how I'd sort of liked it, but didn't want to admit it.

Nobody had ever touched me like that. I'd never gotten close enough to anybody. Ghirahim and I weren't close…well, now we kind of were, unfortunately, but whatever. It wasn't like that.

And why was I even thinking about this again?!

"Shut up Link…" I grumbled almost incoherently to the empty room, save myself. "You don't want to think about that."

I got up to my feet suddenly and then went to close the curtains. The sun was starting to set by now and its bright orange light was permeating through the trees and filtered its light into the house. I wanted to sleep, so the light was unwelcome.

Regardless of the curtains, the sun still managed to soak through the fabric, albeit duller and softer to the eyes.

I jumped back onto the bed and lay down, not bothering to cover myself with the blankets. I didn't want warmth for a long time after the excursion to the Eldin Volcano.

I lay there for a little while, trying not to think about Ghirahim. He must have been really upset when I didn't show up. Gosh, I'd almost forgotten about that. He'd be angry at me. Hopefully, I wouldn't see him anytime soon because I had a job to do and I didn't want to be held back from it. Besides, I didn't want to have to experience Ghirahim's wrath or anything.

What made me uneasy was that Ghirahim didn't even seem to be searching for me…unless he was constantly watching me.

I thought I felt a presence when I jumped into the Eldin Province, among other times. Perhaps he was stalking me. But then again, he had this so called _research_ to do, so wouldn't he be busy?

Either way, Ghirahim seemed obsessed with me enough from what he'd last said, that I suppose he could be watching me. It seemed likely after all the times I thought I was seeing him today, or hearing him.

I shuddered and tried not to imagine him peering through the window or something creepy like that. I really had to stop freaking myself out. If Ghirahim hadn't tried to get me right away, then he probably wouldn't confront me now. I wouldn't like it one bit. It was important that I see the water dragon instead.

Plus, I wanted to find Ghirahim before he found me. I'd like to have the element of surprise when I find his location-and Fi's.

And seeing Faron, the water dragon, couldn't be postponed for that much longer since she might know where the bokoblins had been coming from-which would help in finding Ghirahim's location and therefore, Fi's.

If I could figure out where Fi was, then I'd probably want to infiltrate his headquarters-or whatever the heck it was-and I'd get Fi, escape, and then confront Ghirahim when ready-stopping his crazy schemes from being further set into action.

Theoretically, it was a good plan, but it was easier said than done…

…the biggest flaw-I didn't know where Ghirahim was keeping Fi in the first place. Perhaps he was in Faron woods. After all, the bokoblins were sighted there.

No, that didn't make sense. Fi told me through telepathy-I tried not to laugh at the word-that our locations were probably far apart since she couldn't communicate easily with me. But how far was far? Did 'far' mean that she could very well be kept in another province or in the sky somewhere? Or was it far as in, at the other end of this province?

I groaned and then wrapped my arm around the pillow and tried to get some sleep pushing all the thoughts away-well…_trying _to.

I arched my back like a cat and then rolled my shoulders to get rid of the stiffness that had settled there from the day's journey. As I did this, flashbacks of Ghirahim and that…intimacy…returned for some odd reason. Probably because I was reminded of my half-naked state.

I tried to push the thoughts out of my head and groaned when they stayed stubbornly at the front of my mind. I didn't want to think about Ghirahim touching me intimately like that.

And yet I couldn't _stop _thinking about it no matter how hard I tried anymore. I even kept _feeling _him touch me; his hands on my body…his mouth…

With my eyes shut, a vision of Ghirahim flashed through my head. I felt his lips against mine, even though he wasn't here. I could feel his hands trailing over my hips and my thighs. I felt him teasing me, thrusting-

What the heck was I thinking?! He hadn't done _that_ yet-and I wouldn't let there be a 'yet' either! Geez…my imagination was getting out of control. That was _completely _uncalled for!

An involuntary shiver of arousal ran through my body and settled in my lower stomach and I blinked in slight surprise at my body's response, trying not to let that earlier violation get to me, or the vision that I had created without meaning to.

I really had to stop thinking about this…him touching me.

"Agh!" I growled into the pillow as the words 'him touching me' ran through my head, making me even more aroused. I could feel my body heating up and I willed it to stop, but it didn't help any that Ghirahim kept popping up in my mind, namely the things he had done to me.

I breathed in deeply through my nose and tried, again, to stop thinking about him, yet the more I told myself to stop, the more aroused I got and soon I realized that I was actually _getting off _just by thinking about another man…no…a demon-_the _demon that was my enemy. The one who'd invaded my personal space way too much.

Not to mention the insane one who was bent on reviving his master _yet again!_

With a defeated sigh, I turned onto my back and slipped my hand down under the waistband of my pants and the underwear, pulling them down to my ankles in the process. Now pretty much naked, I sighed softly as my hand wrapped around my arousal and I stroked myself slowly at first, taking my time to intensify the sensations.

_Sky child...do you want some help with that?_

I groaned and willed my mind to shut up and let myself enjoy the moment.

Unable to contain myself anymore, I squeezed my eyes closed and started to stroke harder and faster, before rubbing my thumb over the tip, trying desperately to not think about Ghirahim or what he might say in this situation. Yet hearing his voice conjured in my mind only seemed to make me more desperate.

I moaned out and tilted my head back against the headboard, letting the feelings wash over me as I continued, feeling completely embarrassed, shamed and humiliated at once, not to mention that I felt like I was betraying myself.

Why was I doing this? And why was Ghirahim the source of my arousal? He shouldn't be the one making me feel like this. No, what I meant was: _I _shouldn't be thinking about him in such a way! Why was my body reacting so strongly just through a few unwanted thoughts?

I thrust into my hand, which was now kind of wet and panted softly as I felt myself nearing release. I breathed heavily and stroked faster for more friction, wanting more and more for this to be over soon. I felt thoroughly disgusted in myself, but I couldn't do anything anymore.

After a few more heated moments, I tensed and released into my hand with a drawn out moan. I panted for a minute or two before the heat left my body, leaving my skin moistened with a thin sheen of sweat and evidence of what I'd just done now drying on my hand.

I huffed with frustration at my behavior, and forced myself to my feet. I pulled my pants back up and slipped outside into the warm evening air, quickly rinsing my hands at the water pump before returning back to my room within a few seconds. Not wanting to dwell on what I'd just done, I jumped onto the bed and closed my eyes, wanting sleep to come quickly.

I didn't know what the heck I was going to do anymore. Everything was getting so complicated and more than anything, I felt unbearably lonely. I had too much time for myself that my mind was starting to act weird and Ghirahim wouldn't leave my thoughts.

I needed a distraction, otherwise I would be constantly worrying about a certain demon.

Perhaps being with Zelda tomorrow would help to clear my thoughts and help me focus on my task. After all, who else, besides me was capable of stopping Ghirahim? If I didn't get my act together, then who knows what would happen if Demise was resurrected once more?

**/**

**A/N: Haha Link's paranoid XD Lol. But is he really hallucinating, or is Ghira just playing around with him? You'll find out soon. On a side note, I apologize for any grammatical mistakes.**

**Well, I promise good stufffz for next chapter! Stay tuned! ;)**

**Leave a review before you go! XD**


	13. Desiring

**A/N: And I've returned with GhiraLink stuffzzz!**

**Sorry for the longer wait! I usually update quickly, but I'm beta reading a story and I've gotten hooked on FMA (I keep thinking that Edward Elric looks kinda like the Link in OoT, but maybe it's just me...) so I got distracted…Plus I was trying out a paint program that I haven't used before (paint tool SAI as opposed to GIMP) and I was metaphorically dying from a heat wave.*dies in a corner while mumbling about air conditioners***

**ANYWAY…Please note that this chapter is RATED M for lots of sexual content!**

**Also, there's a lot of Ghirahim talking at the beginning of the chapter. He loves the sound of his own voice. -_-**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Enjoy the GhiraLink! (sorry for the long A/N)**

**/**

"Sky child…"

Something tugged at the corners of my subconscious and I groaned before turning over and stuffing my face into the pillow. I grumbled incoherently for a second or so.

"Sweet sky child…open your beautiful eyes for me…"

"Ngh…I don't…" I murmured to the voice. I was half-awake and I was perfectly aware of it, but my mind was fuzzy. The voice sounded familiar. And I knew that only one person called me 'sky child'.

That person was Ghirahim. I wasn't even sure why he did. I wasn't a child. I was 17 years old. But because he was a demon, demons probably aged slower…he said he was 21. Maybe that was his physical age. After all, he was a sword spirit, so he probably was centuries old…so to him...I suppose I was a bit like a child.

How disturbing.

My thoughts went off on a tangent, drifting from one idea to another in a nonsensical way.

"Wake up." The voice started to sound a bit more impatient, but I didn't pay it any heed. I was tempted to sink back into the depths of sleep where I would much rather have stayed.

Nothing ever made sense when on the brink of consciousness and dreams. It wasn't like I was fully comprehensive of what was happening around my physical body either.

I grabbed the pillow with my arms, pulling it in close to me and I sighed sleepily.

"Get up already!" The voice snapped, louder this time.

I squeezed my eyes tightly. I could still sleep for another while…yeah…that sounded nice…

Suddenly, I felt the blankets get ripped from my body and I frowned, still semi-conscious. I didn't remember covering myself before going to bed. And who had even pulled the blankets away? Moreover…who was talking to me?

Oh, right. Ghirahim-

_Ghirahim?!_

"What?!" I jerked awake and jumped into a sitting position, still clutching the pillow to my bare chest.

I looked around wildly and blinked in confusion. Where the hell was I?!

I sat there in shock, frantically scanning the room. I wasn't in the same place that I had fallen asleep that was for sure. That was definitely not a good sign. Instead, I was in another bedroom decorated in reds, golds, and blacks. Diamond motifs were present all around the room. A velvety looking carpet covered the ground.

There were various pieces of furniture placed in a tasteful manner along with a chandelier hanging above the center of the room. Sunlight shone in brightly through a stained glass window along the right wall. It depicted an upside-down triforce. It was quite beautiful, I had to confess, yet unfortunately, it didn't help give away my location since I _couldn't see through it._

Finally, my eyes landed on his. Ghirahim's.

I tried to glare at him, but found that it was hard to when my body still craved sleep. "Why-what are you…where the heck-"

Unable to form a coherent sentence, I ended up gritting my teeth angrily.

Ghirahim was sitting at the side of the bed. It was a mystery why I hadn't noticed him earlier. He looked the same as always, giving me his trademark smirk of immense satisfaction. What was going on?

"Finally you're awake. Took you long enough." He said to me. I glared back at him and then furrowed my brows when I realized that the pillow was still held firmly in my arms.

How intimidating I must look.

I dropped the pillow and resumed glaring, but I made sure to pat down my hair so that I didn't humiliate myself more than I already had.

"Where am I?" I demanded when I had finally collected my thoughts.

Ghirahim raised an almost non-existent eyebrow inquisitively. "Why, you're at one of my current residences. You should have been able to figure that out by yourself, being the hero and all. But perhaps heroes don't have to be smart nowadays."

I made a huffing sound at the last part of his statement, but was too tired to argue. "How did I get here?"

This question only received a deadpan 'duh' kind of stare and I blushed. Okay. Perhaps that was obvious. Ghirahim obviously kidnapped me. I didn't know what to think. I wasn't happy about it, yet at the same time, I was still too tired to care much."Okay then." I said irritably. "Then why did you kidnap me?"

"Kidnap? Well, I gave you a choice, and you refused to even consider it. I went to your room that night, but when you weren't present, I realized that you were going to continue to be that ignorant brat that you've always been, so frustratingly insolent. It angered me beyond comprehension. So," He paused for added emphasis, "I decided to take matters into my own hands." He said. "And 'kidnap' is a terribly ugly word."

"Well thanks a lot." I replied, sarcasm dripping like venom from my words. Ghirahim watched me with that unnerving gaze of his as I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Now what, pray tell, are you planning on doing with me now that I'm here?"

Ghirahim waved his hand dismissively as though the matters were trivial. "None of that is your concern."

"If this is about keeping me out of the way of your 'great plans', then why don't you just kill me?" I snarled back. "You clearly have the upper hand."

"Touché." He remarked. "However, this isn't just about discouraging your interference in the grander scheme of things. This is about our thread of fate. I've been following you, sky child."

The corner of my eye twitched in irritation. What on earth _was_ this 'thread of fate' anyways? And how exactly did it constitute kidnapping me? If this was just about keeping me out of the way, I'd understand better. But the following thing? That was plain gross. He really was stalking me like some…I didn't know what to call him anymore.

"Does your puny mortal brain not comprehend my words?" Ghirahim said mockingly. I refrained from lashing out at him. "Well, allow me to explain. We are bound by a thread of fate. Our paths are destined to cross time and time again, sky child. You and I…one cannot exist without the other sufficiently."

"I don't know what you mean." I retorted. "I was perfectly fine before you came into my life."

"Of course you were, but like you said: you don't know what I mean. Now, as I was saying…our thread cannot be broken or frayed. It only strengthens and brings us closer together. We cannot escape out fate, boy. _Surely _you can wrap your mind around _that."_ I didn't answer, so Ghirahim continued. He clearly liked the sound of his own voice.

"What I mean, my dear sky child, is that the fate of both our lives is connected closely with the fate of two worlds and that together. When I resurrect my master, he will reign over both of them."

My mind numbed and I frowned. How did Ghirahim expect me to understand any of this deep thinking stuff when I'd just woken up? Seriously..."How does that work?"

Ghirahim's eyes shone in excitement. "The changed world is a direct copy of this parent world. You've probably realized that it uses many similar aspects of this place, but changes them to fit the society. When something happens here, it creates something comparable to occur in the changed world. However, some things from other dimensions also seem to affect the changed world…do you remember your ocarina? Your flute? Or any of your other wonderful instruments that you played?"

I blinked in confusion, too flustered to argue with him. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Oh, so the great hero is capable of answering questions! He actually understands something for once-to an extent." Ghirahim said sarcastically, his voice lowering at the end to add the snide comment afterwards. "Anyways, those instruments were never meant to exist in the changed world since they don't exist here…at least…not with any importance. It's flawed."

"How the heck do you expect me to get any of this?!" I suddenly blurted out in irritation. "I just woke up!"

Ghirahim sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Either we talk now or later. I thought you wanted to know what was happening. But anyway," He disregarded the way I glared at him, and continued. "The changed world is named quiet appropriately because it is easily altered.

"Meaning, the changed world is a _mistake _of the goddess. Sky child…you should already know this." Ghirahim's eyes narrowed slightly. "When I found out about the changed world, it greatly intrigued me. You and I were never meant to live there. We weren't supposed to know. I was informed by my master and you were then informed by myself.

"When I sent you there, I was forced to tamper with some things so that your arrival wouldn't be unusual. I also had to place enchantments on certain people so that you would be able to fit into society. You're quite welcome for that." I huffed impatiently at the last comment, "I even placed a few enchantments on yourself so that you'd be able to drive a car and do other things that were necessary. I changed it so that you could live there.

"I didn't want you dead because that would be the one way you can sever our thread. No, I wanted you to be living normally in the other world. Also, if I just left you to fend for yourself in the changed world, it would surely draw attention from that _wench _Hylia, who has a direct connection to that world. I didn't want her to find out right away since it would then draw attention to myself. So I decided to do some research in the changed world…

"Immediately, I realized that something was strange about that world-even stranger than I had initially thought: there were no copies of ourselves. It was quite odd. I did some more research and discovered that we only exist here. Our thread of fate is what keeps us tied to _this _place and doesn't let us coexist in the other." I looked down at the burgundy quilt. Diamond patterns were scattered throughout the smooth fabric.

I traced the patterns indolently. "What gives you claim to the existence of this…alleged 'thread of fate'?"

"Sky child, the signs are obvious enough." He stated. "And if you bothered to analyse the evidence, you'd agree quite expeditiously too. We are bound by fate. We're both pawns in someone else's destiny, which is why we have the thread; to guide us."

"You're insane." I growled back mutinously.

_I used you…_

I frowned at the words that ran through my mind. Hadn't Zelda said that? But she didn't…did she? I wish I remembered.

"So, how are you a 'pawn', oh fabulous Lord Ghirahim?" I spat back at him with vengeance and spiteful sarcasm. If he was in any way right, then I was in trouble. And I honestly didn't want to have anything to do with him.

Ghirahim chuckled dryly, humorlessly. "If you didn't already notice, my sole purpose is to my master. I'm his weapon, and the one who resurrects him. You were used by the spirit maiden. My master doesn't…"

"Well, if it bothers you so much, then why don't you just _not_ resurrect him?" I pointed out, ignoring the way Ghirahim uncharacteristically trailed off. This conversation was going nowhere.

"I…" He paused and thought for a moment. "It's my purpose." He repeated.

Ghirahim ran a hand through his silky hair. "I'm a sword. What use is a sword without someone to wield it?"

I opened my mouth to answer the, obviously rhetorical question, but he continued. His waning patience was unconcealed in his tone of voice.

"As much as I'd like to chat with you, I must be going. I came to wake you and to…spend time," He eyed my bare chest suggestively and I recoiled instinctively. "With you, but this conversation has quite worn me out and there are many idle minions of mine wandering around in Faron Woods. They're drawing more attention than I'd like at the moment. I'll deal with them first, then I can assure you that I'll return."

Actually, I'd prefer it if you didn't return.

…well, that was what I wanted to say.

Instead I pursed my lips, and tried to get some information rather than goading my kidnapper. "Before you go…would you enlighten me on our location?" I said with false cheerfulness.

Ghirahim's eyes glinted in amusement. "I already told you; we're at a residence of mine. As for your location…let's see…well, you're obviously in a bedroom. Happy?"

I groaned in frustration. "You knew what I meant." I snapped. "Whatever. Where's Fi?"

"Somewhere." Was the answer I was graced with.

"Thanks."

"My pleasure."

He flashed me a grin before snapping his fingers and disappearing in a cloud of diamonds.

This was just perfect. This whole situation was wonderful. I was kidnapped in the middle of the night while sleeping after being stalked for a day and then pretty much taken hostage by a demon who has plans for his master to take over the world. What had I gotten myself into? This guy was a complete nut!

There was no way out. He would have kidnapped me either way, I suppose. I only wished I could have done something to prevent it. Ghirahim had been stalking me, which meant that my 'hallucinations' were really, well…real. Which meant that all those times I thought I was hearing his voice or seeing him, I probably really was…

So that means he saw me last night.

I had the urge to throw up or something and gagged a few times in horror. He had…seen…oh _goddess_ no.

I swallowed thickly. I was very sensitive about these kinds of issues and I…it wasn't fair what he had done. He played dirty and…okay, I suppose I had played dirty too. I hadn't showed up in my room when I was supposed to. It only made sense that he would pull some kind of sick joke on me.

Only, this wasn't a joke. I was screwed. He was messing with my life!

I was supposed to see Zelda today. I was supposed to visit Faron today. I didn't know what time it was, but I knew that I should be going to Lake Floria today at noon. Would Zelda be waiting for me? Would she be sad when I didn't show up? Or would she be too distracted with other things because Hylia was trying to tell Zelda about Ghirahim? I sighed in defeat.

I didn't have any weapons with me, I was half-naked in a bedroom and wouldn't be able to fight him off. Ghirahim had the upper hand and I was at an impasse. There was nothing I could do anymore.

It would only be a matter of time before he returned and…carried out with his sick plans for me.

I growled in frustration at my predicament. I considered searching for an escape, but the idea was proven useless when I realized that Ghirahim would never leave me in an insecure room. He'd make sure I was stuck here, so there was no point in wasting my energy.

There was no way I could communicate with Fi like this either. I didn't know how to summon her, so that was also a lost cause. Plus, she probably would have talked to me if I was nearby, and her silence proved that she was obviously too far or something.

I collapsed back down onto the bed and closed my eyes, willing that this whole thing would just turn out to be a dream. Maybe everything was a dream after all.

/

I felt something brush over my cheek and I flinched.

"I'm back." A voice came to me. I froze.

Ghirahim was back, which meant that it wasn't a dream.

Oh crap.

I opened my eyes and they grew wide when I saw that Ghirahim was straddling my body. He wasn't wearing his gloves or his cape and his face was close to mine. His curtain of white hair tickled my cheek and I shivered slightly. I could see that diamond mark that was usually hidden by his hair. It still looked like a tattoo, but I suppose that they didn't have tattoos in this world, so it was more likely something else. Some other kind of mark. He grinned deviously at me.

I couldn't find the strength to move since I'd just woken up. Ghirahim's large dark eyes looked into mine and glinted in hunger. His lips brushed across my cheek and his hands were placed on either side of my head.

No. Not again.

"Get the _hell _off!" I found my voice and tried to move, but Ghirahim just held me down with his weight.

"If you dare try anything, then I _swear,_ this will be a very painful experience for you sky child." He threatened. "I have had a very long and frustrating day with my imbecile minions, and I don't want you causing any trouble or you will pay the consequences. Now_ stay still_."

I froze at the rawness of his orders and stopped struggling. Perhaps it would be better to go along with this than to suffer the consequences.

No, Link! What the heck are you thinking? You don't want this!

"I just woke up, you know." I said through gritted teeth, "You do realize that? And I haven't even eaten since yesterday morning."

Ghirahim glared down at me with such intensity that I found myself wishing I could hide under the blankets, but of course, I didn't. I was the goddess' chosen hero! I wasn't supposed to be scared. "I don't care right now. I've waited too long for this and I'm not about to postpone it any longer."

I sighed in exasperation-and, I'll admit-slight fear. "When do I get to eat?" I hoped I wasn't pushing my luck. Ghirahim looked annoyed enough.

"After we're done. Now stay still-"At this point, I started to struggle, but then gave up on that when my wrists were clamped together in a vice-like grip, "And you'll get your food later. Is that too much to ask, boy?"

Yeah. It is.

Instead of coming up with a witty retort, I settled on glaring at him. His dark eyes now glittered in amusement.

Ghirahim smiled at my so called 'submission' and then continued with what he was doing.

He wasted no time in trailing his mouth down my jawline and to my neck before pressing it hot against the skin, moistening it with each breath. He sighed against my flesh and nuzzled the crook of my neck, making a strange groan threaten to come from my mouth.

I chewed on my lip to avoid from making any encouraging sounds as I was now fully awake. I wanted him to know that I didn't like this one bit. Well, and I was honestly trying to convince myself of that too. That was the scary part. But I wasn't weak. I wasn't going to let this bother me in the end. Once this was over...I'd move on.

"Sky child…" Ghirahim murmured against at the skin over my collarbone. "Don't hold back. I know you like this."

"No. I don't…" I replied, trying to breathe normally again. My heart rate was increasing and my breaths were coming faster as everything got warmer.

Ghirahim laughed softly and then groped my still bare chest with his hand. Every touch made me shiver and I closed my eyes to pretend that I wasn't really letting him do this to me. What made this time worse was that I wasn't even tied up. I was letting this happen to avoid further punishment.

I didn't really have a choice. If I didn't do this, then I would probably end up much worse. And besides: I was unarmed. If I tried to resist, I'd have nothing to protect myself with. I was only choosing the safest option. I had my pride, my dignity...that would get stripped away, but I wasn't going to be stupid and fight back. Not now. That would just cause me more pain and discomfort. I would find a way to regain my dignity and in the meantime, I would use a facade to fool him, shove it back in his face that his plans weren't working.

"Ah…" His fingers trailed to my nipples and he pinched one while nipping at my neck. I groaned in my throat, unable to stop the sound from coming. Ghirahim continued to fondle the flat breast as he licked and sucked at the skin near my neck.

"St-stop…" I protested weakly, in a last attempt, but I knew that he wouldn't listen. My arguments were getting feebler and I didn't really like where this was going.

"Relax, sky child. I know you'll like this."

His hot mouth trailed down to my other nipple and he took the now erect bud in his mouth before sucking it and swirling his long tongue around the supple skin.

I squeezed my eyes tightly and breathed heavily, trying not to pant or moan. But then his other hand trailed down without me even realizing it, and started to grope the outside of my crotch through my pants.

"No!" I yelped, but was soon overcome with the immediate sensation coming from my lower body, making my body feel even hotter. "Don't…ah…"

He groped harder and started to lick down my chest, trailing his tongue over my ribs and around my navel. And suddenly, my pants and underwear were pulled off in one swift movement. My eyes flew open. Ghirahim stopped touching me for a moment and sat up. He let his eyes take in my appearance. I was completely naked now and was burning in shame.

"Last time, I didn't have the time to fully appreciate your body, but now that I can see it in the full light, I have to say I'm quite pleased. You're not nearly as much of a sight to behold as myself, but appealing in your own way, I suppose." He commented.

"Don't stare at me." I muttered, looking away shame-faced. I knew that I was aroused and I didn't want to see. It was embarrassing how easily he made me react like this.

Ghirahim laughed gently. "No need to be embarrassed. You're a very attractive boy, Link. You should be honored that I, the Demon Lord Ghirahim, have taken such in interest in you. I can only imagine what your other friends in Skyloft must think of you."

"They don't think anything about me! And I don't even know why you want to do this to me in the first place." I said back.

"Why do you think?"

I didn't reply to this, feeling thoroughly flushed and humiliated as he continued his ministrations. He bent his head and started to nip at my inner thigh and I leaned my head back, trying not to let it get to me.

He slowly massaged my thighs and then my hips, rubbing in a circular motion while placing butterfly kisses up my chest. I gripped the blankets in my hands squirming every now and then.

I didn't understand why, but just these simple things were starting to stir up the telltale signs of arousal. I groaned in irritation at my reactions. He slip his hands closer to my crotch and I tensed involuntarily, expecting him to touch me, but he completely bypassed the area and went down my legs.

Ghirahim chuckled when he noticed me tense up and he trailed his fingertips back up my legs and then rested them at my navel.

"What…?" I mumbled. I raised my head and saw that Ghirahim was eyeing my groin. I grit my teeth together and let my head back onto the pillow, trying to ignore his gaze.

Again, his hands were touching everywhere except my arousal, which was now starting to feel uncomfortable. With every touch, I felt the blood rush to the area between my legs. A high pitched whine came from my throat when he missed my crotch again and I clamped my mouth shut, shocked at the needy sound I made.

"Do you really want me to touch you that badly?" He asked.

I breathed out angrily, but then my breath hitched as his hand suddenly wrapped around my throbbing member.

He stroked slowly from the base to the tip, all the while kissing my thighs, and then licking up my stomach to my neck, sending a wonderful tingling sensation from the points of contact.

"Isn't this more fun than doing it yourself, sky child?" He crooned.

I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me, but I refused to grant him with an answer.

"Ahhh…" I panted as he rubbed the palm of his hand over my crotch intimately. He took his time, unlike with the last experience. First the teasing, now this. He slowly stroked me and I soon felt the need for it to be…faster?

Gosh what was I thinking? I was out of my mind. I just woke up…and then I was being molested. Again.

I didn't plan for this.

Almost as if reading my mind, Ghirahim's strokes became more intense as he stroked harder and I curled my fingers into the blankets in pleasure.

"P-please no…more." I begged as he grazed his teeth over my collarbone. His mouth moved up to mine and he dove in, lustily moving his lips against mine. I felt Ghirahim's tongue slide into my mouth and I moaned lightly, not being able to clamp my lips together to stop the sound.

His tongue probed every corner of my mouth and his hand other hand felt up my chest, and then pinched my nipple again, making me whine in the back of my throat. Ghirahim moved his mouth off of mine and I gasped for air as a lightheaded feeling set in.

I panted heavily and closed my eyes again, trying to catch my breath. "I…just stop. Please." I hated begging my enemy, but screw him! He was such a-

"Sky child, I've been waiting far too long to stop at this point. Besides, you're clearly enjoying this." Ghirahim replied, still stroking my arousal and sending sparks of pleasure through my lower body, while groping my chest with the other hand. I moaned as he ran his thumb over the tip of my member. "I have to say that last night you weren't as vocal…why is that? Hmm?"

I opened my eyes and looked for him again, glaring, but cheeks flushing in embarrassment again as he referenced that moment last night when I was 'alone'.

That was sure never happening again.

I didn't answer his question because I knew that it was true. I would never admit it that he made me feel better than I made myself. It was wrong. He gave me one last devilish smile before kissing the tip of my member and wrapping his lips around it.

Immediately, I arched my back in pleasure and moaned loudly before realizing that I had tangled my fingers in Ghirahim's silvery white hair. It was like silk, and for some reason, I couldn't stop rubbing the strands between my fingers as I gripped his head closer to me.

I panted harder as Ghirahim started to take me deeper. He inflicted hard, fast sucks upon the appendage and I groaned again.

Soon the feelings being showered upon my groin grew so much that I actually had to stop myself from thrusting into his mouth. It had happened again; this sexual violation. And yet…this time wasn't like the last. For some odd reason, it didn't bother me as much, and I wasn't sure why at all. He was doing the same thing, but I didn't feel like I was as upset about it. Maybe because it wasn't the first time, so I wasn't as traumatized about it.

"OH!" I panted loudly as he used his tongue to stroke me. I closed my mouth when I realized that I was moaning with every suck and tried to breathe in and out through my nose to stop the vocalization. But it soon proved to be fruitless as he started to pinch and fondle my nipples, turning them into harder, pinker nubs. I made a mewling sound and tried to stop it again, but I couldn't.

I felt myself about to come when he suddenly pulled away and the warm wetness of Ghirahim's mouth vanished, leaving me feeling oddly cold in the area between my legs.

I whined and then my eyes widened in alarm. Had I really just made that sound?

Ghirahim laughed at my reaction and I closed my eyes, feeling like he was making a fool of me.

It had almost happened again, yet I could still feel my member throbbing as I hadn't reached the release I craved.

I opened my eyes when I felt a hand caress my face. Ghirahim looked at me with neither a smile nor a frown. He tilted his head to the side in a ponderous way before pulling his hand away.

But just then, a hand grasped my jaw and I winced slightly. "What?"

"Open up, boy." I kept my lips sealed, but then he gripped my jaw harder until I was forced to open my mouth in pain. He took the opportunity to shove two fingers into my mouth. I gagged at the invasive, unwanted digits that were now poking farther down my mouth.

I tried to squirm away from them, but only got a warning glare from Ghirahim. "Suck them."

I looked at him incredulously, thinking that this was some kind of sick dirty joke or something, but Ghirahim didn't seem like the type to joke around, so I obeyed grudgingly. I wasn't in the least bit sexually experienced, so I wasn't sure what he was doing or why.

After his fingers were wet with my spit, he removed them, snapping a glistening thread of saliva, gave me a crooked grin-which only made me nervous-and then backed away. His other hand slipped down my back and then traced over my behind. I shivered at the unexpected touch.

But then suddenly, my legs were spread apart and he shoved a finger into my…

My…

"No! That's-"I started to protest, but I couldn't finish my sentence as the finger started to thrust roughly in and out of my entrance. I flushed in shame at my whole body being spread out for him to see like this. This was…completely wrong.

"This is…" I started again, but I was too flustered to continue.

"Just relax. You'll like this in no time." He said almost soothingly.

He kept this up and then inserted another finger. I looked up at Ghirahim and propped myself up on my elbows as he slid the fingers in and out of my anus. What…what was happening?!

I clenched my hands in fists and Ghirahim smirked at me, lust filling his eyes to the brim. I groaned in discomfort at the feeling and looked away when I actually sat up enough to see what he was doing. I didn't like seeing this happen. I didn't want to see it. What was he thinking? This wasn't something that-

"Oh!"

Okay, what was that? I could feel my neglected arousal starting to throb again.

"Ah!" I panted again as he shoved his fingers deep inside of me. I tensed involuntarily and collapsed onto the bed, my elbows not supporting me enough anymore. For some reason, it didn't hurt or feel uncomfortable anymore...I wonder...

He continued to thrust his fingers far inside of me and I found myself rocking my hips towards him before I stopped myself, disgusted at my behavior.

Ghirahim added another finger and started to scissor them inside of me. I winced at the slight discomfort and then wriggled around, trying to rid myself of the feeling. Ghirahim had a sly look on his face.

I whimpered uncomfortably and then tried to move away, but suddenly, Ghirahim's other hand gripped my chin so tight that I felt my eyes start to sting with tears. I blinked them away, trying not to show any weakness. But the grip served its purpose, for I stopped writhing around.

…well…that was until the fingers were removed and were replaced with…something else. It all happened so quickly that I didn't even see Ghirahim removing his clothes. I didn't want to draw attention to it, but I found myself admiring his body grudgingly. He was lean, yet muscular. He wasn't overly built, but he wasn't too skinny either. He was kind of built like me, just taller and probably a bit leaner, due to his height. His pale skin contrasted greatly with my slightly tanned body.

But my observations were suddenly pushed to the back of my head as my legs were hiked up in the air and soon I had them over the demon's shoulders. I looked up in shock at what was going to happen.

"No!" I started to struggle yet again. "You can't put your-"

But my sentence was cut off when Ghirahim chuckled and then…I felt a slight pressure at my entrance, teasing. It felt wet and I shivered. For some reason, my body wanted to move back into his, but I stopped myself.

"Ngh…What are you…?"

Ghirahim pressed his hard member against my anus again, letting the tip slip inside of me. I made a whining sound and pursed my lips as the sound left my lips.

He pulled back again, only applying slight pressure. "How much do you want it?" He breathed out.

"I…don't want it." I said back.

"Yes you do. Look at yourself."

I looked down at my body and groaned at my arousal and my flushed form. Sure my body wanted it…whatever 'it' was. But my mind…no. I didn't really want sex. Did I?

No.

But freaking hormones said otherwise. Grr...

"You can't do this to me." I said through gritted teeth.

But then suddenly there was a strong swift pressure and I felt very…full? Tight?

A drawn out groan came out and I squeezed my eyes tight. I didn't know how he managed to fit inside of me. "Yes, I can." He said. His voice sounded a bit strained. "And I just did."

I was about to open my eyes, but I didn't. I knew what he had done, so there was no point checking.

"N-no! Stop!" I yelped, but then my protests were cut off as he pulled back and then slid back in quickly, the slow teasing was gone and was replaced with passionate want.

I panted heavily as he thrust in and out of me. My eyes stung with tears that had yet to fall, but I didn't let them. Was I being raped?!

No. I didn't want to be raped. So what was this? It wasn't rape. Not really.

But I didn't want it either…

Well, I didn't think I did.

"Ah!" I moaned out loudly as he went deep inside of me, hitting those damned nerves so roughly that I couldn't help myself. I heard him sigh through the thrusts. He made sure to keep hitting that place every time. I felt myself losing control-as if I ever had any in the first place- and I started to move into him with each penetration, unable to stop myself.

Ghirahim's hand wrapped around my arousal and he stroked in time to his thrusts. His other hand was touching every available part of me, kneading into the skin and sometimes even using his fingernails to puncture it. A high whine left my throat again, but it was lost in Ghirahim's lips as he started to kiss me once again.

Everything was so hot and I was sweating heavily. I looked at Ghirahim who was plundering my mouth and I gasped into his lips as he set a rhythm that I couldn't help moving into. My knees were almost pressed to my chest now and I felt his hot body pressed flush against mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth and wrapped around mine, forcing me to kiss back.

"Gh-ghirahim…" I breathed, having trouble catching my breath. He got the message and moved back a bit, letting me breathe. My hair was sticking to my forehead with sweat and he brushed it away to place a kiss there.

"Oh, sky child…" He growled out possessively in an almost animal way. I closed my eyes again and threw my head back, about to release. I moaned out as I felt myself climax onto my stomach and in between my legs. I jerked into Ghirahim's body, inadvertently pulling him deeper inside of me. He purred appreciatively and then thrust into me a few more times before groaning and releasing into me.

I slumped back onto the bed and panted heavily, feeling the sweat cool on my body, making me shiver.

I felt Ghirahim pull out and I winced slightly at the empty feeling.

I heard a snap and my eyes opened, feeling dazed, sleepy and plain exhausted. My body was sore and I felt…disgusting and defiled. I just lost my virginity to this demon. Another male, no less. I never thought my first time having sex would be like this.

I felt used and sick with myself.

But I couldn't bring enough energy to care as the clothing re-materialized on Ghirahim, while cleaning off his and my bodily fluids. I looked down to see that my body was clean now, as well. I felt his seed start to trickle out of my entrance and I grimaced. Ghirahim quickly snapped his fingers again, cleaning it off.

At least he had personal hygiene in mind…that was one good thing. Not that it really mattered anymore.

"Sky child."

I forced my gaze to Ghirahim's. He had a slight smirk on his lips and his eyes were shining in excitement. "Remind me to get you clothes some other time. As much as I'd like to keep you like this…"

"What?" I said back despondently.

"…As much as I'd like to keep you like this…" He started again. "You'll be tempting me too much, so make sure not to forget. Well, unless you'd rather I take you again." His eyes glittered hungrily and he licked his lips.

I couldn't bring myself to care much anymore, so I just nodded.

Ghirahim didn't seem to mind my reaction. "I'll be busy for the rest of the day. Here's some food."

He snapped his fingers and a tray of assorted food arrived, but I didn't give it a second glance. He placed it at the foot of the bed and stood up, fully clothed and looking just as put together as always. "The bathroom's over there."

Ghirahim gestured to a door I hadn't noticed. It was at the other end of the room. I blinked tiredly. "And I'll return when I have time. I can't be leaving my pet all alone for too long. Who knows what a mischievous boy like you would get up to if left to his own devices for such a long time?"

"I don't know. You tell me." I deadpanned. All the energy had left me. I stared back blankly.

Ghirahim blinked in mild surprise, but went back to smirking a moment later. He snickered. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you again and hopefully we won't find out."

I closed my eyes and curled up into the blankets, not even paying any attention to Ghirahim. I heard him sigh in irritation. He was starting to get annoyed at my unresponsiveness, I supposed.

I expected him to leave. Not to backhand my face. There was a sharp stinging sensation in my right cheek.

"Ow!" My hands flew up to my face and I groaned softly, cracking my eyes open to look at him. He looked...Angry?

I couldn't really tell. Perhaps he was upset that I wasn't crying and having a fit or something. Or maybe my ignoring him was getting on his nerves.

My eyes landed on his chocolate brown ones, which flashed dangerously, hiding something that I couldn't identify yet. It was a...subtle thing, hidden by his violent act. Why had he hit me after all this? Didn't he get what he wanted? Or was I being "defiant" somehow? All I was doing was lying on the bed.

He glared at me, then without another word, he snapped his fingers, vanishing. I stared in surprise at the place he'd been standing. I was sure he was going to tell me off for something or other. But he didn't.

Whatever. He was just weird. That was the only explanation. Forgetting about Ghirahim's...strange behavior, I looked down at the bed. The tray of food called out to me and I eyed it suspiciously for a moment.

Then I got the energy to sit up. I covered my bottom half with the blankets, seeing my pants and underwear halfway across the room. I pursed my lips and bent over the tray, unsure whether or not to eat any. It would be like Ghirahim to poison it, so I didn't want to take my chances. Not poison as in 'kill', just as in...'go unconscious' or something like that. Then I'd really be vulnerable.

But, I was hungry. I sighed and then picked up the glass of what looked like juice and I took a tentative sip. It was like that yellow fruit I had this morning.

I cocked my head and then shrugged to myself before downing the rest of the glass and then feasting on the other food that I was too hungry to even see what it was. It only took about five minutes before the whole portion of food had vanished.

I stared at the empty tray before bending over the side of the bed and placing it on the floor, then I collapsed into the blankets and closed my eyes. I didn't know what to think anymore. I was just raped…no scratch that. I wasn't raped. I was…forced into sex.

That wasn't rape, right?

But why did I keep trying to convince myself? Was it because I didn't want Ghirahim to be a rapist? No, he wasn't a rapist-why the hell was I defending him?!

I sighed and then continued to lie on the bed. I didn't want to sleep really, regardless of my lethargy, but I didn't want to stay awake. With another defeated sigh, I just let myself rest.

I wanted to say I was furious and angry and I wanted to murder Ghirahim for what he had done, but…that would be a lie because there was a sliver of doubt that had settled in my mind, and I didn't know what to think anymore.

I should be angry at Ghirahim…but I wasn't.

Was there something wrong with me? Why couldn't I muster any anger at the demon who was my kidnapper?

More importantly, what was with Ghirahim slapping me? He was...acting like he was disappointed or something. What else was he hoping for?

I groaned out loud at the complexity of the situation and tried to clear my head. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the worries and suspicions to stop plaguing my mind.

**/**

**A/N: Okay! So…What did you think? ;) I hope everything kind of made sense. It's taken me longer than usual to write this and I hope I corrected most errors when proofreading it.**

**So, please review! I'd really appreciate it! And tell me how you're liking the story so far! :D**


	14. Hurt

**A/N: Hello! I know I didn't update in a while, but it's because I decided to write most of the remaining chapters at once so I can update consistently each week. Basically, _almost_ all of the story is written already and just has to be edited before I post! :D **

**WARNING! There is very VIOLENT content ahead. Not for sensitive readers. I have a warning before the scene if you don't want to read it.**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**I don't like this chapter that much. I'm a bit disappointed with it...but please try to enjoy it either way.**

**/**

I frowned when I heard a light rapping sound. I had been lying in that bed in Ghirahim's supposed residence for who knows how, mulling over what had happened. I wasn't sure exactly how to…process the events now that the weight of it was crashing down on me, I wasn't in good sorts. My heart was aching in an unfamiliar way, I felt defiled, disgusting, and yet at the same time, I felt as though what happened was unavoidable. In short, my mind was a complete mess and I didn't know what to feel or what to do either.

Sure, I'd get past this all and would hopefully rise to do my duties for everyone else's good, but it would still be a stain in my past and I didn't really think I'd be able to forget it easily, if not ever.

So I'd just been thinking in my time alone. I wasn't sure whether Ghirahim would be coming back any time soon, although his words had implied not. If I was to escape, now would be the time to think, to scheme and plan. However, I just didn't feel up to it emotionally or physically. My body was sore, especially my lower body area, and as for my mental state, I wasn't sure how to react at all. Ghirahim had wanted to make me his.

I didn't see that happening any time soon. He wasn't going to be getting any 'pets' in the near future if I could help it. Whether I was in his residence or not would not determine that because Ghirahim didn't own me. He may have gotten me to do some less than innocent things with him, but I wasn't his pet. I genuinely hoped that I wouldn't be ever.

Oddly enough, the more I thought about the recent events, the more I was starting to question my emotions. I was usually pretty understanding and I tried to put myself into the other person's shoes to see from their perspective. I'd admit that I even tried to do the same with the present situation. I tried to see things from Ghirahim's eyes, not that it worked for a minute. I just didn't understand his real motives behind the whole 'you're mine' reasoning. He said that it was about the thread of fate.

He was animatedly telling me that the thread was the factor that was plainly put, in charge. It was what created such a strong connection between us. I still had yet to see that. Thread or not, I didn't understand where he was coming from with his views on anything.

So right now, I should have been looking for a way to escape, but I wasn't still. Instead, I was formerly caught in my thoughts as another light rapping sound jarred the silent room. All worries were instantly redirected as I didn't want to start going on about my obvious confusion any longer.

A faint rustling soon followed. What…? Where was it coming from?

I supposed I should have been less…interested in it and more concerned about the possibility of being still trapped in Ghirahim's residence but the sound was what I was focussing on. I was putting all my confusion into something else. I was avoiding thinking any more about deeper issues.

I let my eyes scan the room thoroughly, but I didn't see anything unusual (unless you counted the ridiculous amount of diamonds that were found on absolutely everything-hell, I was probably the only thing in the room that didn't have any diamonds on me!) But…besides the…interesting (yet somehow tasteful to an extent) décor…there wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

My brows drew together at the rustling/rapping sound again. At first it sounded like someone was knocking on the wall. But now the rustling sound was becoming continuous and that sure wasn't door knocking anymore-if it even was in the first place. Besides, the noise wasn't even coming from near the door anyways. So what was that irritating sound?

"Is he really that much of a creep…?" I muttered when I thought about it being Ghirahim trying to scare me. But oddly enough, it didn't fit the flamboyant, obsessive demon properly. It was just…not dramatic enough? No. Not sophisticated enough in his own twisted way-as though forcing someone to bed with you is, not to mention kidnapping said person and…ugh.

I sighed and tried to think about something else to get off of that train of thought. If I started to think about Ghirahim and what had transpired, then I'd go on a full-fledged rant and right now I wanted to focus on the mysterious noise as I redirected my thoughts consciously. "Hmm…"

The rustling stopped at the sound of my voice.

I blinked. So it had to be something living. Nothing inanimate should react to my voice like that. Okay then. Now just where was the source?

I quietly sat up on the bed and let my feet land on the ground soundlessly. The plush velvety carpet muffled my footsteps as I walked over to my previously discarded pants and under garments. I still hadn't bothered to put them back on earlier. But now, I slipped them on right as soon as I could. Whatever living being was here probably didn't want to see me naked, unless they were like Ghirahim. Now if only I had a shirt.

Walking around half-nude while there might be a psycho demon and a strange sound was not a good idea. Then again, Ghirahim wasn't going to be seeing me for the rest of the day-or so he claimed. That was one good thing.

But about the sound. That was the more important thing right now, and whether I was shirtless or not? Whatever.

I fell silent and didn't move, only letting my eyes scan the room quickly and efficiently, practically holding my breath. A few silent moments passed by and I stood, tensed, poised to jump into action if my company wasn't to my tastes. I really hoped that it wasn't some cruel trick that Ghirahim was playing on me. What made that thought vanish a moment later was remembering the slap that I received when Ghirahim departed. I could still feel the sting of it in my cheek. It had been raw with unidentifiable emotion and I wasn't in the mood to decipher which emotions they were. I wasn't going to think about that if I could help it.

That slap had left me disconcerted and admittedly upset. It was almost as if Ghirahim was actually showing some humanity-which sounded ridiculous-even if I was left with more confusion than ever. I would have to find out why he did it.

Just then, I heard the rustling resume.

Feeling as though I had some kind of lead, I looked for the source, listening carefully while examining everything around the room meticulously, not wanting to miss whatever that was. A muffled cry reached my ears and I frowned. It didn't sound exactly human. But either way, I had to find out what it was, human or not. I wasn't about to let the sound just go on without finding out what was making it, let alone why. I supposed it was in the human nature to be curious. I was definitely living up to that assumption.

After a few moments of careful listening, I deduced that the sound had to be coming from near that stained glass window; the one with the upside down triforce. It was odd how the sound was coming from over there. I thought perhaps it would be coming from behind the bathroom door or something. The fact that it was outside gave me a bit of hope. Hope that perhaps there was something, or someone that was aware of my location. Maybe I was finally going to get help and get to escape-I didn't care how overly hopeful I sounded.

The sound grew louder as I drew nearer, walking across the soft carpet expanse easily enough, but rigid in my stance, biting my lip anxiously, not really confident in the least.

It seemed as though whatever was causing that sound was sensing my approach and they wanted me to be aware of their presence now. Earlier it hadn't wanted me to know. But maybe it thought I was someone else…geez I was probably thinking too much into it.

I paused cautiously and stared intently at the window. The way the sun was shining, I could make out the faint shape of something. It was big and it shuffled slightly. A wave of panic washed over me and I had the urge to run back and hide somewhere, but I decided against it. After all, I wasn't supposed to be freaking out so much.

I was the goddess' chosen hero! Being cowardly wasn't an option.

The bulky shape moved behind the glass and a short, sharp tap followed the movement. Okay, so it was the thing making that sound. One mystery solved.

But what exactly _was _it?

_Tap! Tap!_

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the window and raised my hand to the glass, placing it on the surprisingly cool surface.

A soft cry.

But again. Obviously now human, it was still familiar. The glass must have been thicker than I thought, since I could barely hear the creature again. It was muffled from the window. It was probably louder when there weren't any obstructions. Come to think about it, the thing outside kind of reminded me of my loftwing-

_Oh._

It probably _was_ my loftwing. Or at least _a_ loftwing.

I listened carefully for some confirmation and was in turn given another squawking sound with a light rapping. Definitely a loftwing. Hopefully mine.

"Hey there…How did you find me?" I murmured softly. I ran my hand over the glass and sighed, lowering my head. At least there was one living being that was aware of my absence. It made me hopeful. Perhaps Zelda told one to go find me when she realized that I wasn't there at noon when she wanted to meet up with me-that I wasn't anywhere to be found? My body clock was telling me that it was past noon, so that meant that Zelda would have noticed that I wasn't there, right?

Unless she was distracted. Again.

"It's okay buddy. I'll find a way out." I said. I knew that the bird couldn't hear me, but that didn't bother me at all. It was just nice to have some friendly company.

Obviously, Ghirahim didn't fit under that category. Not for me…not…not really and yet still. I felt as though there was more to him than he was letting on. Where those thoughts came from was what made everything even stranger. It was that slap. As though he was trying to tell himself that he was in control, as though he was trying to keep the lines from blurring. That slap had told me that Ghirahim was upset at himself, or me. He got what he wanted and was still not satisfied.

Ghirahim was in a neutral zone for me. I didn't know what to think of him. Sure he did awful things to people, but he didn't have all the confidence at the end of our session and that's what made me concerned. It was like he had to remind himself of something.

I shook my head as my thoughts went off on a tangent again, not even able to finish my last string of thoughts properly. I turned my attention back at the loftwing that was behind the translucent colorful glass.

"What should we do?" I asked quietly to nobody in particular, saying 'we' instead of 'I'. I was clearly including the bird into the equation. After all, if it had come, then it probably was here to help. A soft tap followed my words, as though the bird knew that I was talking or something.

I sighed yet again. I was sighing a lot nowadays, there were too many stressful things happening in my life and I just wanted some peace of mind, but I knew that was wishful thinking. I had tasks to do, I had emotions to sort out, I had demons to figure out, and most importantly, I had to get out of here before I really tried to do any of those things.

"So what do you think? Should we try to break this window or something?" I voiced. The presence of the creature was making me more determined than earlier. Now I felt as though I had some support at least. It was comforting, to know that I wasn't forgotten and that there was some creature-the one behind the glass-that seemed to care about me. I wasn't just being manipulated.

I shook my head to myself as I ran a hand over the glass, pressing and tapping at random crystalline coloured panes, checking to see how thick it really was.

But I knew that it was too thick to break. It had to be at least three inches deep more or less. It was still worth a try.

I banged my fist on the glass to warn the bird to back away and I ran over and grabbed a chair (one of the ones that I'd be able to lift easily, but not too light that it would be useless.)

Hauling it closer to the window, I cast my gaze to the colourful glass. There was a flutter of movement as the bird backed away from whatever it was sitting on. I wasn't even sure if this was a more-than-one-story house/building or anything…and where exactly was my room in the building?

Oh, I wish I knew so badly.

Taking a deep breath, I raised the chair higher up and threw it with all my strength at the glass.

A deep, dense bang resonated through the room-making me flinch at the sound-as the chair hit the large window and crashed to the ground, now harmless. The window was still as stubborn as ever.

"Dammit…" I muttered to myself.

With a defeated groan, I rubbed my temples and stared at the window, trying to think of another way to escape. There had to be a way…there _had _to be. I refused to think otherwise. I wasn't stupid. I would find a way, and my loftwing (if it really was _my _loftwing) would help me escape. We'd go directly to Zelda and warn her. I was naïve when I neglected sharing the information with her. She deserved to know.

Zelda was wise. She would know what to do now. I should have told her earlier just in case something like this happened. I just wanted to protect her, though. That's why I didn't tell her about the situation. I hadn't wanted to worry her. It was selfish and unreasonable, but it was too late to start feeling guilty.

I saw the silhouette of the loftwing move back to the other side of the window. On my side, the chair lay practically unscathed on the ground. I bit my lip, trying to come up with some possible solution.

"What…now?" I muttered dumbly, feeling as though the gears in my brain were stuck. If only some brilliant idea were to come.

Heaving a deep breath, I walked over to the door that supposedly lead to the bathroom. I opened the door and peeked inside, looking for anything that might help me.

But it was just a regular-looking restroom (save for its lavish design). Ghirahim really liked his luxuries. I supposed I should have been happy that he at least gave me a nice room.

Nevertheless, it was all trivial. If it was up to me, I'd rather be in my plain room in Skyloft-_not _kidnapped. However him giving me such a nice room bothered me in a way of its own. He could have thrown me in some kind of dungeon, starved me, beaten me, tortured me. He could have raped me-_really raped me_. Made the incident completely pain ridden for me. But he didn't. There were lots of awful things he could have done-not forgetting that he easily could have killed me with the situation I was trapped in. But he didn't. And that was also another disturbing fact that was added to the ever growing list of odd behavior that Ghirahim was displaying. But I couldn't find answers this way. Thinking like this wasn't going to get me anywhere.

I frowned and went back into the bedroom and picked up the chair I'd thrown. A soft squawk came from the other side of the window.

"I know, I know. But there's no way out right now." I replied, putting the piece of furniture back where it was. Another tap followed my words. I tried not to let myself feel too let down. It was to be expected, I guessed. Ghirahim wouldn't have made escaping easy for me. He seemed strangely fixated to having me with him, so I doubted for a minute that he'd let me go just like that, or let me run away. "It's okay. I'll find a way out. I promise." But my promise was empty, since I knew that there wasn't any way out right now. I'd have to wait until opportunity came.

The loftwing let out a low sound halfway between a whine and a cry as I walked back to the bed where I sat down and leaned against the headboard. I let my eyes drift around the room, looking for anything that could help me escape. My predicament was going to be hard to resolve.

But if I could find anything to help me-anything at all-I would take it, figure out a way to escape and then find Fi.

/

"Oh, why hello sky child. I expected you to be resting." I looked up at Ghirahim, who had just appeared in the room. I didn't like his sudden appearances, nor did I like the way he continuously went on intruding upon my personal space. He was looking the same as ever, smirk in place. But I admit that it looked a bit _off, _though. He looked a bit shaken, as though he was worried about something. I raised my eyebrows. His eyes landed on mine.

"Well you're back early aren't you? What's _your_ problem?" I commented sarcastically. I didn't know why I added that second question since it made me seem vaguely concerned, but there was no taking it back now. What was worse was that I _was _a bit concerned. Ghirahim was acting odd, I was hiding my anxiety, didn't know how to act. I'd have to be more careful from now on about what I said. It wouldn't do well to deliberately provoke his anger at the moment.

The loftwing had left by now and the sun shining through the window was becoming fainter. It had to be nearing evening. Ghirahim tilted his head slightly, contemplating something or other. A possessive glimmer filled his eyes, accompanied by something close to regret. How could I have missed seeing these things before? How could I have been so unobservant before, failing to notice these disturbing signs? They sent warning bells off in my head. Something was wrong with Ghirahim, and it had always been that way, but I didn't realize earlier-not until I had a chance to think so much about our time together.

Perhaps there really was a thread of fate. Maybe that's why I was noticing little things about him-little things that really shouldn't have been so hidden. Why Ghirahim was hiding his feelings was not unknown either. He was clearly trying to come to terms with himself over something, and the look in his eyes, masked by violence, lust and want, was not something to take lightly. If he was in some kind of internal conflict, it seemed to be pretty subconscious. I didn't think that he had consciously realized that he looked a bit regretful. He was acting instinctively.

After all, if we were bound so closely, then surely I'd realize if something was wrong.

I blinked once or twice to clear my worrying thoughts. I didn't know why I was thinking so much about that, only that I needed to have answers and I wasn't sure why I should care so much.

Ghirahim's smirk vanished. "Are you worried about me sky child? I'm so touched." He brought a gloved hand to his heart mockingly, but there was something in his gaze that told me that he was telling me the truth. I shook the thought off, trying not to let it bother me. I surely had to be imagining these things. "And besides, you shouldn't be so displeased to see me. I have some…good news for you."

"Hm? And what is it? More time with you, _oh wonderful Lord Ghirahim? _Or is that too much to ask?"

More nonsense was spewed from my mouth and I didn't know why I was doing this. Ghirahim needed help-especially when it came to his unhealthy obsession with me-and I obviously wasn't helping-

What the hell was I thinking?!

Why did I _suddenly _give a care for this demon? I was probably thinking too much about it.

I jerked out of my increasingly disturbing thoughts just in time to hear him snap at me to shut up.

I was a bit surprised at the sudden anger, but didn't bother pressing. I continued to lie on the bed, while he glared down at me. My body was shivering slightly in mild fear, but I did my best not to make it show. Just seeing Ghirahim's face reignited a flame inside of me and my odd concern was washed away, being replaced with annoyance. Ghirahim just made me angry because he practically stood for everything I didn't. I rolled my eyes as though I didn't care and tried to get a hold of myself. "No, tonight you get to satisfy my hunger." He continued, seeming completely…relaxed. Sure he was a bit _bipolar_ or something, but he was acting more so. It disturbed me more than usual as I saw his eyes tremble slightly. What had happened so suddenly to the previously over-confident demon?

Something made me think that his behavior was something that had to do with me.

"Oh, so you're going to eat me. Can't wait." And why couldn't I just shut up already? I really had to hold my temper, maybe which went too far out of line. He glowered, but a sadistic smile bloomed on his pale lips and my smug grin was wiped off my face. "You're going to satisfy my hunger for _bloodshed, _actually."

My face fell. I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't respond. I didn't really expect that one, but I should have since he was clearly a sadistic bastard. Ghirahim's smirk returned at my reaction, not as satisfied as I would have expected, but still to an extent.

So that's what made him happy. Submission. Proper reaction to his words. Him being in charge. Ghirahim clearly had some kind of…dominance complex or something. As though he always had to be the one calling the shots. Maybe that was his problem-that my reaction to earlier wasn't what he wanted, he was unprepared for it, and then maybe he felt like he needed to get control over the situation so he slapped me, and now he wanted everything to go the way he planned.

It was a good guess, but I still didn't feel like it was what Ghirahim's problem was.

Well, two could play this game and I foolishly decided to humour him. Just to get on his…good side. Then he might be more lenient with me and maybe I could find a better way to escape. Then maybe he'd be easy on me. I put on my best scared face and looked up at him in mock fear. I _think_ he fell for it, but I should have known better.

"No! You can't do that!" I wailed out. What the heck had gotten into me was starting to irritate myself.

A satisfied smile came onto his face and I tried not to gag. I pretended to cringe into the bed. This was too fun, strangely satisfying in its own way.

"It's too late, sky child."

"No!" I cried out desperately. He grabbed my leg forcefully and I struggled, kicking and flailing my arms around.

"Stop-"He grit his teeth in a snarl as I kicked at him. "-Struggling!"

I kept on shrieking out "no!" and eventually he just got pissed, so out came the sharp and scary weapon. I froze. It hadn't worked.

"There. Now _stay_ _still_!"

"Fine. I was only joking anyway!" I retorted in frustration.

Wrong thing to say. I felt something jab at my back near my spine as I was pinned onto the bed with my face in the pillows. It was hard to breathe like this so only a strangled yelp came from my lips, but I clamped my mouth shut. Okay, humoring him? Not anymore. I knew that he'd have preferred me to be screaming my head off, but I was done with that plan. It hadn't gone well. Ghirahim had just seen through it.

**/ (Warning: Very violent scene ahead! Torture, blood. Tread carefully!)**

I felt the sharp blade pierce my skin and I tensed up as a warm sticky liquid began to trickle from the wound. It wasn't deep, but it hurt like hell. I breathed out heavily and squeezed my eyes closed, feeling the sabre press further into the skin around the spine. It was so painful that my body started to go into jerks and spasms. My leg kicked out violently, getting tangled hopelessly into the blankets as the blade pressed deeper.

More warm blood seeped from the wound and I arched my back painfully as Ghirahim twisted the blade, driving it even deeper.

"You're weak!" I spat out. I didn't even know why I said that, but the words just came from my lips. "You're a coward and you can't even-"

"Is that what you think?"

My voice was cut off as he ripped the blade from my back violently. I panted heavily, but my relief was short-lived as he flipped me onto my back. I could feel the wound rubbing painfully against the mattress, but again, I refused to make any encouraging sounds.

Ghirahim leered down at me and I returned his gaze with a glare of my own. "Yeah! I think you can't even fight fairly. I can't believe you feel any satisfaction from this." I hissed, trying now to wince from my injury. This encounter really wasn't going the way I planned.

"Oh, sky child, you _think_ too much."

"I don't care! Now finish whatever you were going to do already!"

Okay. This was bad. This was really bad…

"You're more trouble than you're worth. I think I'll have to punish you more for this." He looked away in thought and brushed his hair out of his left eye, where it returned a moment later. "…what should I do with you?"

"How about-"

"Quiet!"

I clamped my lips shut and breathed out impatiently, acting oblivious to the wound on my back.

"How about I cut your tongue out? After all, your voice is really starting to annoy me and the only sounds I need to hear are your screams." He mused. "I'll admit that our last time together wasn't giving me the desired reaction. I still have some work to do on you."

My eyes widened in horror. No. He wouldn't…

"And how was my reaction not desirable?" I spat out. "You did what you wanted."

"You're quite correct, but you just didn't quite fulfill your role as my pet…" He trailed off, not finishing his sentence, and I frowned slightly. He seemed troubled about it. Something was still nagging at him. I wondered what it was again.

"But about that sharp tongue of yours," I tensed involuntarily as he continued, leaving the other thought behind. "Yes, I think that's what I'll do."

Horror electrified my body, seeming to paralyse me. He couldn't cut out my tongue. That was just…he couldn't!

A snap of his fingers had me pinned to the bed with daggers, telling me that he _could_ very well do whatever he wanted. The daggers pierced through the edges of my pants, keeping my legs trapped. As I was devoid of upper body attire, I didn't get pinned down by the skin…except for my hands, which were less lucky.

In less than a second, two long daggers pierced through the palms of my hands. I yelped and shut my eyes, my voice straining as I jerked on the bed.

Rivers of blood dripped down my hands and soaked into the bed, turning the sheets bright crimson. I gasped and then finally screamed, unable to harness my own voice anymore. It was too painful. Tears seeped from my eyes as blinding pain rocketed from the bloody palms of my hands.

I writhed against the daggers, going into such violent spasms that I almost ripped the daggers deeper into the torn and injured flesh.

My fingers curled into the weapons, tensing at random intervals, more red liquid dripping from the injury. I swear that the blades went all the way through my hands. Flashes of white filled my eyes and I thought I was going to go unconscious, but unfortunately, I didn't have the good fortune of it.

Instead, I stayed perfectly aware of the circumstances, a shriek that didn't even sound like it was mine filled my ears. My eyes cracked open slightly as my hands went so numb that I couldn't even feel anything but a dull constant pain emanating from the wounds. I felt tears streaming over my cheeks, but I could do nothing to stop them. I had to keep some kind of semblance of dignity. I had to keep some kind of pride.

I couldn't let Ghirahim see me like this. He was winning. It wasn't fair.

And yet, the tears continued to flow freely from my puffy, stinging eyes. I hated those tears. They were betraying me.

Ghirahim smiled menacingly and I wanted to wipe that smile off his face, but I couldn't do anything about it.

His lips moved as though he was saying something.

But I didn't want to hear his words, so I didn't let myself. My voice had left me, I wasn't screaming. I opened my mouth to talk, but no words came. Only a few pitiful pained gasps that barely made it past my silence.

Next thing I knew, Ghirahim was holding another dagger near my face. My eyes trembled in fear. There was no denying it. I was scared. I was terrified.

His lips moved again and this time, I tried to make out his words, yet I couldn't focus, and the corners of my vision were getting blurry as blackness started to creep into my eyes.

My jaw was angled towards him and my mouth was jerked open. I tried to close it, but my strength was waning just as fast as the blood seeping from my hands. This couldn't be happening.

Ghirahim grinned smugly, however, there was something behind his smile. Something almost human.

No. I must have been imagining things. No human would ever do something like this.

Within less than a second, my mouth was wrenched wider and his long fingers entered, grabbing at the appendage that was my tongue. My eyes stretched wide in horror as he held the blade to my tongue. The cool metal pressed closely. I breathed out heavily, gagging at him tugging at my tongue roughly. For a second, I was worried that he'd rip it out with his hands, not that the alternative was any more desirable.

Ghirahim's mouth moved again and I strained to hear beyond my own pain that was putting my senses into overdrive. I squirmed against the daggers, a ripping sound only breaking through to me. It was my pants ripping from the daggers from my writhing.

Just then, my eyes met Ghirahim's chocolate ones.

More of an almost human emotion I failed to recognize told me that I hadn't imagined it. But he blinked it away.

"I have to do this…"

My eyes widened when his whispered words broke past my pained silence. Why did he have to do this? Did he even mean to say that or did it just slip out by mistake? What did he mean? It was hurting even more emotionally than physically at this point! But soon it would be reversed.

But all thoughts were wiped from my mind in an instant as the blade pressed harder to my sensitive tongue. I could feel it all.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut almost to the point where I thought I'd blind myself.

And then a sharp pain ran through my tongue and rattled my jaw sending fire through my body, reigniting the wound in my back and the deep gouges in my palms.

He really was doing it. He really was.

This was some kind of nightmare.

A scream ripped from my previously dry throat as blood trickled down, moistening the walls of my mouth with its bitter taste. A faint gurgling sound followed as I realized I was choking on my own blood. My eyes flew open and I arched my back, aggravating the back injury and tugging at the blades in my hands.

More blinding pain followed as my tongue was abused and a sharp ripping sound send electricity through my bleeding body. It hurt so much…so much…I wish it was over already. Black fogginess crept into my eyes again, almost making myself black out. I couldn't believe that I managed to stay conscious this whole time. And then there was a pause in everything.

My eyes fixated on a bloody piece of…something that Ghirahim had speared on his blade. I squinted at it, feeling his hands release my jaw, letting me close my mouth.

But something felt off. I gagged as I felt more warm rusty-tasting blood fill my mouth to the brim. I let my lips part and the red essence seeped from the corners, tracing down my jaw and over my neck, leaving a red line in its wake. I forced myself to swallow, but again, something felt off.

I moved my tongue in my mouth hesitantly, my whole body shaking and trembling as I felt around.

And then I realized it.

That bloody thing on the end of Ghirahim's blade was flesh.

Namely, my flesh. It was my tongue.

I screamed again, feeling more wetness on my cheeks, a wetness that was not blood. I was crying again, and there was nothing I could do to prevent the salty pearls from escaping.

I gagged as more blood filled my mouth and I started to choke again. Immediately, I spat out the redness, having some difficulty with only the throbbing torn flesh of what was left of my tongue. My mouth filled with the taste of my own blood, but I could barely taste it, having none, or few taste buds now.

My scream was cut off as I felt my hands go limp. With puffy eyes, I forced myself to look at my hands, where the daggers were removed. There was a gaping hole right through each palm. With nothing to stench the blood, I watched as the crimson liquid trickled and bloomed from the open wounds.

How was I still awake? How was I still here, not fallen into the depths of unconsciousness?

If anything, I should be out cold right now, considering the amount of blood I'd lost.

I tried to talk.

Nothing came.

I tried to say anything. Anything at all.

Nothing except for a few choked moans and cries.

I was pretty much a mute. My eyes raised to Ghirahim's. He ran his long, perfectly fine tongue over one of the daggers that had been in my hand, lapping at the blood. I didn't know where the ripped flesh of the rest of my tongue had gone…

When he noticed my staring, he froze as though in shock, and he looked down at me, letting his eyes trace patterns down my arms, before resting on my right hand. He blinked in surprise.

I tried to ask him what the matter was, but no words came. I felt my ripped tongue run painfully over my back teeth, snagging slightly. I groaned softly at the pained feeling.

Ghirahim's smirk vanished and in an instant, he was kneeling on the soiled sheets of the bed. He lifted one of my hands and brought it to his mouth. In a daze, I watched as he sucked at the injury, drinking the blood. I stared at him blankly.

A throbbing started up in that hand as more blood was taken. My consciousness was fading now.

A grunt came from my lips and I tugged lightly at my hand.

Immediately, Ghirahim stopped and pulled away. His lips were stained with blood and his tongue flicked out to lick it away. But when he saw my expression, he froze again. I opened my mouth to try to talk again.

Nothing.

It was no use. I wasn't able to talk anymore.

Ghirahim's fingers twitched disturbingly, but not in a sadistic way. More in a…shocked way. He seemed almost…upset again. Whether my reaction not satisfactory enough was a reoccurring question.

I tried to hold his gaze, but pretty soon, my eyes slid shut and I felt myself falling into darkness. Ghirahim grabbed my hand again, making me jerk and tremble at the aggravation to the injury again. Then I became still again. Until I felt a sharp jerk in my right hand and a loud snapping sound resonating through the air. My hand went limp as the bone snapped easily and another shriek tore through my throat before dying out pathetically. My eyes fluttered open, only to fall closed a moment later as it all became too much to bear. There was too much pain. Too much blood.

But the last things I was aware of was another brief snapping sound, like when Ghirahim would snap his fingers, and then the feeling of cool lips pressed fleetingly to my blood stained ones.

"…I'm bringing you back…" I heard faintly, however the words seemed stunted and disconnected.

And then there was nothing as I was overwhelmed by the suffocating fog of unconsciousness with one word ringing in my ears. The very last thing that I could remember.

Ghirahim's soft voice.

Saying something I wouldn't remember when I came to.

"For you…Master."

/

**A/N: Yikes, I've become a real sadist! :P Nah, not really. It was a bit gruesome to write, too. I had planned for this to happen, so don't be alarmed. Link's going to be okay :) You can trust me on that! And why do you think Ghirahim's acting so odd? Hm? If you want to voice your opinions, feel free! But wow, I didn't like that chapter. It sucks. I'll try to write a better one next. And don't hate me for the violent stuff. :(**

**And stay tuned for chapter 15! Please don't forget to review anyway. :)  
**


	15. Abandon

**A/N: Hey there :) Here's chapter 15! (And Link's alive! xD) I hope you don't hate me after that last chapter… :( I meant to update on the Friday, but I honestly forgot, heheh.**

**Moving on, thank you to all reviewers! You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Enjoysss!**

**/**

Everything hurt.

I moaned in pain when I came to and breathed out heavily, wanting to run my tongue over my chapped lips, but not being able to. So it wasn't a dream. It really had happened. Yet, I was feeling strangely sedated, so I didn't react in a panic first thing.

But at least I didn't taste or smell any blood. Everything around me actually smelled like…disinfectant? It smelled like chemicals…but in clean way, an underlying floral scent faintly hidden.

I frowned slightly and my eyes cracked open. A pale white light greeted me. Then I started to make out objects.

A white curtain. A window. Sunlight. Flowers on a windowsill.

And a white bed. With a white sheet.

No red. No blood, but there were wires. And tubes.

Panic washed through me as everything about my strange situation crashed down on me and I jerked upright, only to cry out as there was a sharp poignant stinging that originated from the back of my left hand. There was a tugging that kept me from moving too much farther.

I fell back onto the bed that I was lying on, gasping only a bit. I decided that perhaps now wasn't the best time to be making any sudden movements. I looked around my surroundings warily, my breathing slightly labored.

I wasn't in Ghirahim's place anymore. I wasn't anywhere that I recognized come to think about it. I had never been here before, but I knew what this place was called. There was a certain sense of familiarity.

It was a _hospital_. I was somehow, inexplicably in a hospital. I wasn't sure how I came to get here, either, which made it all the more disconcerting.

My eyes darted around the room suspiciously and then landed on a girl who was sitting at my right, slumped in a chair, asleep. Her long golden hair fell over her face, but she didn't look peaceful in slumber. Her face was troubled. How long had she been sitting there? Was she worried about me?

I stared at her for a few moments before recognition dawned on me. _Zelda_. It was Zelda. But not the same one. It was the Zelda from the changed world. Not the other Zelda. I could tell by her clothes.

Which meant that…

I was almost afraid to finish the thought, but it didn't matter as realization fell on me tenfold.

I was clearly in the changed world. Was that what Ghirahim meant when he said "I'm bringing you back"? But that didn't explain how on earth I somehow got here? What had happened after I passed out after the…incident with Ghirahim? I had to be dreaming this up. And how come Zelda was here? Hopefully she knew what had happened to me. Right now I needed answers more than anything else.

I sighed softly and then looked down at my body that was lying under the thin sheet. I was wearing a hospital gown. That much was evident. I moved my right hand to lift the covers and then froze when I noticed that said hand was wrapped up with tight heavy-duty bandages. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, but the revelation came to me less than a moment later.

Oh yeah. I had broken it. No, correction-_Ghirahim_ had broken it. Not me. At least it wasn't merited a bad enough break to put on a cast. My gaze was redirected to my other hand, which was also wrapped up, but only in some thinner white medical gauze. I must have had stitches to both hands, as well.

There was an intravenous tube that lead to a catheter in the back of my hand. So that's why I as jerked back when I tried to move around earlier…

I frowned in discomfort at the now blatantly obvious numbing feeling coming from the veins. Goddess, I hated those things. I shuddered involuntarily, so I quickly tried to think about some of my other injuries to divert my thoughts.

So I had my back wound to be stitched. And I probably had stitches to my tongue, too...Ouch, okay, so thinking about other injuries wasn't helping much either. I didn't really want to think about all the…less than pleasant facts-was I ever glad I was unconscious for that surgery.

Just then, a nurse came over, thankfully distracting me from my disturbing thoughts. She was wearing the typical modern nurse outfit and went to open the curtains to let in more light. She didn't seem to notice that I was awake yet.

I watched placidly as she pulled the curtains apart, yellow sunlight spilling cheerfully into the room, not matching my emotions in the least. I was glad that the window was put in a place where the light wouldn't shine in my eyes, though.

The nurse then turned to adjust the flow of whatever liquid was in the intravenous bag. Then she noticed me watching.

Her gaze fell on me. "Oh! You're awake!" She exclaimed, pleasant surprise written all over her face. She hovered near the side of the bed, careful not to wake Zelda, who was still sleeping. "How long have you been up?"

I blinked again. Was this nurse completely dense? Didn't she know that I had my tongue cut off!?

Well, unless she wasn't my specific nurse.

When she noticed my lack of response, her face flushed awkwardly. "Oops! I forgot..." She said lamely.

'_No, duh.' _I thought bitterly. I looked away and started to examine the bandages on my hands.

"I'll go fetch your nurse. She'll be here in a just a minute."

She left briskly, leaving me with Zelda.

I continued to look at the bandages, experimentally pressing a hesitant finger into the covered palm of my hand. I winced at the sharp pain and retracted my fingers immediately. If they'd just given me a red potion, then I'd be better. Unless they had, and this was the extent of its healing abilities.

I frowned. I didn't really want to be tongue-less for the rest of my life…It couldn't happen. It just couldn't! More panic and hopelessness welled in my chest, but I was quickly distracted, much to my relief.

A moment later, another nurse appeared. She had a man, who I presumed was a doctor, beside her.

"Good morning Link!" The new nurse said to me, trying to sound optimistic. She gave me a pitying look and resisted the urge to outright glare. I hated pity. I wanted to say something back, but I knew I wouldn't be able to speak to her anyways. But body language went a long way. I was normally polite and soft-spoken to people-unless they were my enemies-but right now, I felt my body go rigid in irritation at them. They didn't know what happened. Not really. They only knew the physical injuries, the outcome.

"Yes, good morning young man." The doctor said, oblivious to my tensed form. He pulled out a clipboard he held and flipped a page back, looking at the paper for a few moments before speaking. "So here, we have a list of all your injuries. I'll explain them to you for better understanding…"

I felt the tenseness melt out of me and I decided to just listen and be a good patient. I didn't really feel like hearing about my injuries, but it was better to know. I nodded when he looked at me over his glasses.

"So, you have a broken wrist...a few of the carpal bones were snapped and will mend on their own with time. You also had some broken metacarpal bones, which are the bones in your palms, along with numerous stitches to that affected area. Your back was injured quite badly as well and you had to get stitches near your thoracic spine, but the vertebrae wasn't damaged." He flipped a page in his notes and I stared back dully. He was talking all scientifically and half the stuff was going over my head, but whatever.

"As for your tongue…very unfortunate I'm afraid." He gave me a rueful look and I blinked, then looked away as a shudder ran through my body. "Your intrinsic muscles were all damaged, as they are not attached to any bones, and your extrinsic ones were affected badly as well…" He took a moment to adjust his glasses. "We had to do surgery right away since your lingual artery was severed and it was imperative that you get stitches to stop the blood flow. You're very lucky you're still living, young man."

I bit my lip, my eyes downcast.

"You could have choked to death on your own blood." Oh, thanks for the beautiful picture that comment leaves me with. "And you went unconscious from blood loss…"

I started to zone out, not wanting to think about this anymore. It was hard to move on when he kept talking about it. I overheard him say something about how I had a blood transfusion during the surgery, something about my nutrients being passed through the intravenous, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…

I heard him list off the number of stitches I had, the specific number of the bones broken, and other pointless facts that, right now, I couldn't care less about.

After more adjusting with the nutrients being given to me through the catheter needle thing and the intravenous tube (which made me cringe in discomfort) and a test of my blood pressure, not to mention them trying to coax food into me, I finally was asked the critical question: how did it happen?

Zelda yawned just at that moment, half-lidded eyes looking around blearily, before landing on me. I looked back at her.

And then she jumped to her feet in excitement, almost knocking over the chair she'd been slumbering in.

"Link! You're alright!" She practically yelled at me. I froze in surprise, then smiled slightly.

I nodded. Thank goddess for distractions.

"I thought you were never going to wake up!" Zelda's eyes filled with concern and relief. "You've been unconscious for the past four days!"

My eyes widened. Had it really been that long? And how the heck did I even get here to begin with?

The doctor and the nurse noticed my confused expression and then looked at Zelda. "How did Link become like this?" The doctor asked her.

She shook her head. "I don't know," Another concerned glance was directed at me, "But I…I found him lying on the ground near our house. I didn't know why he was outside, either…He hadn't said anything about going out that night."

What the hell!? I thought time passed quickly here? I thought that a few months here could happen within a week or something in the other world…and that meant that Zelda should have been shocked at my appearance after being gone for months! Or weeks at the very least. But now she was acting as though no time had passed.

But then…

Gah! This time thing was confusing me! Perhaps Ghirahim had tampered with the time here, too, just to make sure that it was matching up with the time in the other world. But did he even have that much power? That was surely pushing his limits. Only Hylia could probably do that much.

I sighed softly, and the nurse looked over at me gently, misunderstanding my expression as self-pity. "Well, we can figure that out some other time. I think that Link needs some rest. He's been through a lot. He's a strong one to be able to endure all that."

The doctor agreed vehemently, nodding his head firmly. Zelda only looked worried.

I wished I knew what had happened.

Why had Ghirahim dumped me here? What had I done to make this happen? It left me feeling empty.

/

It had been a week since I had woken up in the hospital. I'd had to stay there for another two days and now I was back at my home. Zelda and the doctors had also stressed that I don't go to school for a week or two, and I wasn't complaining either.

So I was staying home, resting most of the time, and slowly regaining my strength. I communicated with Zelda with random hand gestures and sometimes writing (although it hurt to hold a pencil, regardless of which hand I used) and I was getting used to eating easier without the use of a proper tongue. When I returned to the other world, I would have to find a way to get it healed. I knew there had to be a way to fix it completely. But in the changed world-here-it didn't seem possible.

Right now, I was sitting on my bed, propped up by pillows, and I was just _thinking._ I had been doing a lot of that over the past few days, and I had many things to fill my head up with. I had even come to some conclusions, and had found satisfactory answers of my own.

But the thing that was especially bothering me was the time issue. I was really confused about it.

Had no time passed between when I left the house late at night and the time I was in the other world to when I returned back here? And I thought time passed quicker here…

It didn't make any sense. Ghirahim had done something and I wanted to know what. He had frozen time or something. This world really had to be pliable, easy to mold, if one person-er, demon-could do that much to it. He couldn't possibly have that much previously dormant powers. So how was he controlling this world so easily?

And why was I here anyway!? Did he decide that he'd had enough of me? Was that why he threw me away like some used toy? And why had he kissed me again before I blacked out? That kiss had meant a lot…

A strange pang of sadness pained my chest and I furrowed my brows. I didn't want to just be some toy. I was a human being, so I should have been treated like one. Ghirahim was wrong to have done that to me. He clearly had some kind of vendetta against me, probably because I was the one to seal away his master. It only made sense that he'd feel that way. He most likely felt that I had personally wronged him. He wanted me to be his toy because he wanted to feel powerful-he wanted to feel like the one in charge. But that didn't explain his strange behavior.

Maybe Ghirahim felt that by punishing me, and keeping me as his "pet" or "prisoner", whatever he wanted to call it, merited him winning. It gave him power over me and he wanted to hurt me for what I'd done. Yet at the same time, Ghirahim seemed to want to have me all to himself as well, but not as a…torture victim as much. He presumably wanted to keep our "thread of fate", yet he wanted to be in charge all the same. It was a complicated matter.

I sighed in frustration and anguish at the same time. I felt like I was missing something. I felt as though I was incomplete being so far away from home…my other home, that is. And for some reason, distance between Ghirahim and myself was straining on me. As though I was being drawn to him. That was something I had realized within the past few days away.

There had to be something wrong with me. He had tortured me. He had muted me-maybe forever.

Ghirahim had raped-okay maybe not _raped, _rather…forced me into sex…with dubious consent on my part. Not saying my body didn't enjoy and _remember_. I hated how I even _liked _it. I hated how I felt tingles of arousal pool in my groin when I thought of him touching me like he did. It wasn't right and I was only glad that nobody else knew about Ghirahim and my complicated relationship-and no, I didn't mean a romantic relationship. Ours was so much more diverse with hidden feelings and emotions. I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I liked it when Ghirahim was with me physically-intimately. Not when he was torturing me. Why he had done what he did was still a mystery.

Another sigh. But I still…I… (I couldn't believe I was thinking this-maybe I really had gone insane.) _Missed _the demon in some weird, twisted, even _masochistic_ way. It was utterly and unimaginably _wrong._ I must have come to the wrong conclusion, for this was disturbingly immoral and it was completely _messed up._

_What the hell was wrong with me?_

I closed my eyes in exasperation. This kind of thinking wasn't really helping. Right now I just needed to get back into the other world so I could find Ghirahim and…what?

Kill him?

My brows drew together and my eyes blinked open and I resumed staring lazily around. The word "kill" send shivers down my spine. I didn't want to kill. Especially not him, I had to admit. Ghirahim was my tormentor, but he was also my…no. I couldn't describe it in one simple term. He was much more than that, for even if I hated him, I still was unwilling to even _think _about killing the demon anymore.

He was another living creature. He'd helped me in some ways, I confessed. But he had also hurt me in many more ways.

Yet, I knew that I'd have to kill him in the end if I ever wanted this torturous order of events to repeat itself in the future. Whatever I did, Ghirahim would have to die, because otherwise, he'd just keep trying to resurrect his master, Demise. He wasn't going to stop because like he said once, he was a sword, and what use is a sword without a master?

The bond between master and servant wasn't about to break either-until his death, which would also sever our thread of fate.

The thought of Ghirahim being killed festered in my heart like some deadly fungus.

It was eating away at me, and until I completed the deed, it would consume my complete being. I had to kill him. I just had to, even if I ended up losing a part of myself in the process. It was the only way to save everyone else.

But I couldn't. When the time came, I would probably gain courage and would be able to end it, but right now, I couldn't imagine ever ending his life, regardless of how much of a sadistic, sick bastard he was, because at the same time, Ghirahim had shown glimmers of something softer and it showed that he really did have deeper feelings. I knew he kept them hidden. I knew he kept them secret, locked away in his messed up heart, yet he still had them, I was sure of it.

I had felt it when he slapped me.

I had seen it in his eyes when he was torturing me.

Just glimpses, yet it was enough. Ghirahim wasn't sure how to handle what he felt, so he hid it behind his blood lust, he used violence and acts of control, domination, to hide his insecurities. It had to be the answer. But then again; maybe I was looking too much into it. Maybe Ghirahim was just a heartless demon after all. I probably would never find out for sure.

"Hey, Link?" I heard a quiet knock on my door, and since I didn't make any protesting sounds, the door opened and Zelda entered. I looked over and smiled vaguely, drifting out of my thoughts.

"Your friends Pipit and Fledge saw me at school today and asked me to give this to you for them." She walked over to my bedside, sitting down, handing me an envelope and a basket filled with stuff. I looked and saw that the basket was crammed with different kinds of fancy chocolates and various other expensive candies. "They said they were going to visit, but didn't know how you were feeling and whether you would be up to having visitors."

I nodded and then opened the envelope, finding a get well soon card. I grinned, then I grabbed a pad of paper on my bedside table along with a pencil. A grimace passed through my face as I held the pencil in my right hand, which was still wrapped up carefully.

"Could you tell them that I'm really grateful for the gift and that they can visit if they want to or something like that? And tell them that I say thank you." I wrote as neatly as I could with my hand throbbing constantly the way it was. It was healing, but slowly, so I still had to be careful with it.

Zelda looked at the paper and squinted slightly when she saw the way the words got messier towards the end of the script. My hand hurt more the longer I used it, so I understood how Zelda had a bit of trouble reading the end part.

When she had deciphered the rest of the scrawl, she nodded. "Yeah, of course I'll tell them, Link."

A short silence passed as Zelda looked me over, eyes lingering on my hands longer than would be considered normal. Her eyes went back to mine and I met her gaze. She looked upset.

"Link…I'm worried about you." She said softly, a small frown replacing her smile. "I…I don't know what happened…and I was terrified. You're my brother and I don't want you to get hurt. I wish that I knew who did this to you. Then the police could do something…"

I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers experimentally, not sure whether I should respond through writing or not. But she continued. "Whoever it was…whoever hurt you…I don't want them to ever touch you again." I flinched ever so slightly when I thought about Ghirahim. "You scared me when I f-found you…lying on the ground l-like that." Her voice cracked a few times and I noticed her eyes filling with tears. "I c-can't af-"She took a deep breath to calm herself, "Afford to lose you. And seeing what h-happened t-to you! You m-mute! And-and-"

A tear slipped from the corner of her eye and landed on her pink skirt, staining the fabric with a small wet droplet as her now-hysterical voice broke off.

Immediately, alarms went off in my head when I saw that tear, and I leaned forward to comfort her, wrapping my arms around her shivering frame. I held her gently as she started to sob quietly, hiccupping when she tried to stop the tears. I couldn't offer any words of comfort, but I think that this was enough.

I wished I could have explained what was happening-with the two worlds, with Ghirahim and me, everything-but I knew that I just couldn't and I wasn't allowed to. It would be going against everything Fi told me. She said that no one else was allowed to know.

I just wished I didn't feel so alone.

We stayed like that for a moment that seemed to last an eternity before Zelda calmed down and carefully hugged me, being gentle so as not to aggravate the cut on my back. I moved my hands to her shoulders and looked at her, offering a small smile.

Zelda smiled back, eyes puffy and red, tear-stained cheeks, trembling eyes…it hurt to see her like this because of me. I brought her close again, giving reassurance in my actions as I could not with words.

"L-link, I…miss you." She managed to say. "I feel like y-you're being dis-tant with m-me and I d-don't know what…t-t…to do…"

A slight frown came onto my lips. She felt like I was being distant. It was true.

I didn't want her to find out what had happened to me because then she might be in danger. I had to protect her and I couldn't afford to lose her to anybody. Ghirahim wouldn't hesitate to use her to blackmail me and I couldn't risk it. But some selfish part of me wished that she did know what was happening.

If only she knew what I was really going through.

Then I wouldn't be so alone.

/

**A/N: :'( Poor Link…*sigh* what's he going to do? Lots of angsty stuff in this chapter…Link thinks too much. Lolzzz.**

**Anyway, please leave me a review! I love to hear from readers! :D**


	16. Encounters

**A/N: Hi! I _think _I just posted the right chapter...I wasn't really paying attention. I have a lot of files that I had to sort through and got a bit confused...**

**Whelp, anyways: There is some SEXUAL CONTENT in this chapter, meaning night molestation sorta, just to let you know. :P Lolzzz, not that that's particularly funny.**

**_And thank you to anyone who's followed, favorited, or left a review for this story! _You guys rock and I can't thank you enough! I appreciate the support so much! :) **

**Also, I actually meant to update yesterday, but I forgot...heheh, sorry 'bout that. Next time, I'll try to remember.**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Enjoy! (Also, there are a few time skips, but nothing major to worry about). :D**

**/**

The days after that moment started to swiftly melt into one another and I found that as the time passed mercilessly, I was becoming more nervous-more anxious. I had to find a way back to the other world. I just had to because if I didn't, then Demise really would be resurrected and that was not an option.

After the second week, I was sure that Fi would somehow contact me. I was sure of it.

But she never did. She must have been too far away, and Hylia probably didn't know what had happened with Fi, so it was a lost cause right now. Or maybe Fi didn't know where I was after all. It was discouraging to say the least.

After the third week, I was even starting to hope that I'd meet Ghirahim here, which was a crazy enough hope. At this point, I didn't care whether it was Ghirahim or Fi because I just needed some kind of reminder that the other world existed and that I wasn't just abandoned here forever.

But even so, I didn't see any trace of the demon either.

And I still hadn't gone back to school. I was so anxious and I was making myself get physically ill. Zelda even insisted that I see a doctor after I started to throw up about once or twice a day. Almost every time I ate, the food wouldn't stay down and I'd find myself running to the backroom where I'd retch up my stomach's contents, coughing and gagging so much that my throat would turn raw. I had never been one to throw up or get queasy and nauseous often, but now it was becoming habit. Not a good habit either.

It wasn't healthy and I knew it, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was too nervous and anxious. I felt helpless. I felt scared.

When I saw the doctor for a quick diagnostic, he even suggested that it was my emotions that were bringing on the regurgitating, however, he thought it was probably post-traumatic symptoms from being tortured, tied in with my tongue's violent severing.

But that wasn't it. I was anxious and freaked out all because I was the goddess' chosen hero and I was supposed to save everyone. Yet I was failing horribly right now and failure would never feel good.

And I wasn't going to accept that I was honestly failing because it would hurt more. I wasn't _willing_ to accept that I'd failed because I didn't think that it was over-I didn't want it to end like this. To clarify, I didn't want to accept that this could be the way it ends after all.

"Link?" Zelda's soft voice called out to me. I met her gaze. We were sitting on my bed, just enjoying each other's company. She was reading and I was trying to do some work that Pipit and Fledge had dropped off for me, but I wasn't making any progress. My mind was unwilling to focus on anything but my current failure. It was an early Sunday evening. "I think you should go to school tomorrow."

I blinked in mild surprise, closing the text book I had in front of me since I wasn't going to get any work done anyways. I knew that it was the most productive thing to do right now, but I really didn't feel up to it since it had nothing to do with my job as the hero. Anything not pertaining to that was pretty much at the bottom of my priorities right now. But school? That was probably the _very last_ thing on my mind. I hadn't even thought about going back to school for such a long time.

"I think it'll do you good." Zelda continued, "The teachers and principal-and, well…lots of people-already know about your…y'know, condition…and I think that interact with some other people. It'll take your mind off what happened and will give you a feel of some normalcy you need to."

I swallowed thickly. Normalcy. Would it ever be normal again? 'Cause this whole situation wasn't normal in the least. Zelda and everyone else who lived in the changed world might think that, but for me, it wasn't really home. But I couldn't tell Zelda that. That information wasn't for her to know.

"Link?" She repeated when I didn't give any sign that I'd heard her.

I looked over and met her shining blue eyes when I realized my gaze had drifted to my hands. I still wore some bandages, but the injuries were healing very quickly. My tongue still felt weird, being so short and torn, but I was managing. Emotionally, I wasn't managing well. I was filled with a self-loathing for my current failure as the hero. I was guilty and I was anxious. Things had taken a turn for the worse and nobody was in any position to help any more. Unless Ghirahim suddenly appeared and decided to join forces with me or whatever-but then…wouldn't this whole thing not be a problem? He was the one who started this big mess.

"Link," She repeated again, brushing some golden hair from her eyes. "Will you come to school? I don't know if you should drive since your hands are still sore, but we can walk…it's far, but perhaps some fresh air would also help? I've been taking the bus, but you know how I hate the bus…and I doubt that we can get a cab like we did when we came home from the hospital in Hyrule. Skyloft doesn't have taxis…you know that. And the taxi ride from Hyrule to Skyloft is expensive."

She paused in her rambling, then talked a bit slower and more hesitantly. "And you look so sad. You need your friends to cheer you up. Visits aren't enough."

I sighed. I didn't feel like putting up an argument. Besides, maybe it would help. I knew that it probably wouldn't do a thing, but perhaps it'd get my mind working again. I might see something that would trigger some brilliant idea…or I could ask some people if they'd seen Ghirahim since he'd been their…'teacher' (some teacher he was…). But he could have just left the school after he found me. Either way, I wasn't in the mood to argue.

Still, I didn't want to go. I still didn't see how going to school would help my situation, 'cause it wouldn't. It would only make me feel even more useless, not that I was any more useful at home, moping around like I was. I knew that if I told Zelda I didn't feel up to it, she'd give in and let me stay home, but I didn't want to argue. She could very well be right.

I ran a hand through my dark blonde hair and then nodded once. I needed _something _to do anyways, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea, strangely enough.

Zelda smiled when she saw my nod. "Thank you Link…I'm glad you're doing this."

I just blinked lazily at her, not really caring about school much. Once upon a time, when I thought I actually lived here for all my life, yes, then I would have gone to school since I didn't want to miss any more work. However the situation had flipped and there were way more important things to worry about rather than missed quizzes and school work.

But I would still go. For Zelda. And to get my sluggish mind working again.

She glanced at the clock on my bedside table after a moment and then back at me. "Mmm, well, I'm going to go to bed. It's getting late."

I looked at the clock, seeing that it was already 10pm. It was early for me, since I usually went to bed late-then slept in-but I felt lethargic and drowsy come to think about it, so I just nodded again. Zelda smiled at me before getting up while holding the book in her hand, keeping page with her index finger, then she stretched and left the room. She closed the door behind her and I stared at the closed door for a moment.

Everything was really messed up, wasn't it? And now I was expected to go to school. And meanwhile, Demise could be strengthening.

And I wasn't doing _anything_.

Nausea crept up my throat at the self-derogatory thoughts and I clamped my lips shut as I jumped from my bed (groaning at the slight pain in my back near my spine) and ripped the door open. I heard it bang against the wall, but I didn't care. I just raced to the bathroom, not even having time to turn on the light or close the door. I blindly reached the toilet and flung the lid up before retching violently into it.

Pain spring forth as acidic fluids rushed to my mouth, before being coughed into the toilet bowl. This was awful. I needed to get a hold of myself and stop all the self-guilt and loathing. Ghirahim wouldn't let this happen to himself, he was too proud for that-yet now that seemed like a more desirable state of mind than the current one I had-and nor would anybody else I knew. I wasn't lacking confidence, but I didn't want to let anybody down, which was a different matter. I felt like a _complete failure._ It was pathetic.

I coughed a few times and then shuddered as I let some saliva mixed with bile drip from my lips. I had trouble spitting without a tongue which made everything worse. At least the taste didn't linger-rather, I didn't taste it much at all. I was always trying to be optimistic even though that wasn't really in my nature.

After a few moments of coughing, I deemed it okay to leave the toilet and I flushed it, still kneeling on the ground in the dark bathroom. I was glad Zelda didn't come to check on me. She was probably listening to music like she always did before sleep, so she didn't notice my retching. I was grateful that she didn't have to see me like this.

With shaky legs, I got to my feet, swaying slightly. I almost fell, but luckily, I caught my balance and was able to stay upright. I always felt unsteady and weak after throwing up, which made sense. Hopefully this would be the last time this happened.

I breathed out deeply through my mouth, not wanting to smell any of the bile, then I flicked the light switch, closed the door and brushed my teeth really thoroughly until I only tasted a faint minty-ness. I decided to run the shower since I'd broken out into a cold sweat, and after all that was done and I felt better, I returned to my room. Without hesitation, I closed the door, turned out the light and then collapsed in bed, exhausted mentally and physically.

Would I ever get a break?

/

It was the middle of the night; 2:34am is what my clock told me.

I wasn't sure what had woken me up. I blinked my eyes a few times to accustom them to the darkness that filled the room. I wasn't sure what I was expecting-something to jump out at me? Nah. I just felt a sense of completion. It was odd and I didn't like it because I also felt wary.

Deciding that I'd go get a glass of water to calm myself down or something, rather than lie nervously in the dark room, I went to sit up.

Only to be pushed back down onto the bed.

Alarm pulsed through me at the feeling of hands on my shoulders, and I looked around wildly before my eyes landed on the silhouette of someone sitting on the edge of my bed. For a second, I panicked.

Then I relaxed when I recognised the lean, graceful form, a slight glint as a diamond caught the moonlight. A diamond hanging from a pointed ear.

Ghirahim.

"Relax." I heard him say. And in my drowsy state, it wasn't hard. Being only half aware of what was happening, not to mention slightly sedated with painkillers and anti-infection meds also was giving me a very calm state of mind, so I couldn't really blame myself for what happened next. The only thing that I could think of was that Ghirahim was in my room and he wasn't upset at me. He wasn't hurting me like last time.

I closed my eyes again, not to sleep, but to rest my body, and when I felt a hand move the blankets and slip under my shirt, I didn't tense up. When I felt the bed dip slightly when he moved over top of me, I didn't startle. I could blame the medications again. I was on a pretty high dose considering all I'd been through.

After a moment, I felt soft lips press to mine in a way that made me suddenly feel really vulnerable, like some child that was being comforted. He ran his tongue over my lips asking for entrance. I, being only semi-aware of what was happening, parted my lips a bit. Instantly, I felt his tongue slip into my mouth and drag along my own torn one.

With a shudder, I arched a bit off the bed, ignoring the faint pain in my back, only focussed on the feeling of his bare-not gloved-hand caress my body and his mouth on mine. He ran his fingernails slowly up my sides and then back down and when his other hand lifted my shirt, I sighed lightly. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I didn't want to question it. I was pretty sedated after all, and I was tired, so I wasn't even able to form tight fists with my hands properly. That was how out of it I was.

Eyes still closed, I felt as his other hand trailed up and then lightly pinched a nipple with just the right amount of pressure, and I let out a breathy moan, quietly, wordlessly asking for more. Whatever was happening was beyond my comprehension, since I hadn't seen Ghirahim in so long, and I didn't want to ruin what was happening by asking anything yet.

A hand ran down to the waistband of my pants and I didn't resist when the hand slipped under and wrapped around the semi-hard flesh of my member. It didn't surprise me how I was getting aroused by such little stimulation. Ghirahim knew what I liked. Any other time, I'd have blanched at the thought, but in my drowsy, lethargic and confused state, the thought only made me more aroused.

Ghirahim's hand slowly started stroking me and I breathed out heavily, not even resisting when he pulled my pants down to my ankles with the other hand. He moved his mouth off of mine so as to lick up my jaw and to the tip of my ear, making me shiver. Then the blankets were all pushed aside and without warning, I felt the colder bedroom air on my body before warmth encased _that area _a moment after his lips left my ear and jawline_._ It was a wet warmth and I felt my legs spread themselves out for Ghirahim.

He sucked gently at first, lapping at the tip every now and then, before speeding up as release came. I hadn't done anything like this in a while, so I didn't hold out very long as I came with one last hard suck and he swallowed around my arousal, tightening his throat unbearably. Blissful release came and I got off in the other's mouth, moaning out softly.

And then it was over and I-not having opened my eyes much throughout the whole time-felt his mouth leave the area between my legs. Immediately, colder air assaulted me and I shivered, but my pants and boxers were tugged up swiftly before I knew it, and my shirt was replaced before I felt the blanket return.

"I'll meet you at school tomorrow sky child. You'll know where to find me."

/

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

6:30am.

Monday.

I groaned softly-one of the few noises I could make-and then blinked my eyes open tiredly. I got to my feet and ran a hand through my hair. It felt like such a normal school day. But it wasn't.

So much had changed since I'd woken up like this.

I was a different person. Sure, I was mute. So what if I had broken a few bones? Because I was a hero now. I wasn't just normal, average Link.

I had travelled between worlds. I got my memories back. By now I surely had all of them.

Yet I almost wished that none of this had happened because now I knew some things that I wished I didn't-namely the fact that I was helpless here and I had no way back to the other world and that while I was being useless, a certain demon was raising his master once again and soon the worlds would be under his power!

I wished desperately that I could do something to stop him.

With a dejected sigh, I grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. I knew that I'd had one just last night, but I felt like I should clean up. I just had a feeling that I should since I was feeling a bit…dirty. Not sure why, either. The warm water felt good on my skin and I closed my eyes, breathing out in relaxation, tilting my head back while the beads of water caressed me.

But it was over soon enough.

I turned off the water reluctantly and dried myself off in a towel before dressing in a plain hoodie and some jeans. I put on my earrings as I got to my room, glad that I at least had something from the other world, to prove that it really existed, to remind me who I was and what it meant.

After eating some cereal-and not too much either for fear I'd just throw it back up-I met Zelda at the door. I'd convinced her that I could drive and she gave me permission to after some thoughts and concern. She smiled at me when she saw me and we got in the car, throwing our backpacks into the back seat like we always did.

I stuck the key in and turned it before backing out of the driveway.

And thankfully, I remembered how to drive.

I supposed I had Ghirahim to thank for that. After all, he admitted to giving me the ability.

The drive itself was uneventful and was over quickly. Time was passing swiftly since I was so caught up in my thoughts and soon we arrived at the school. I breathed out deeply. I hadn't been here in a long time and I felt almost giddy with a playful, good natured excitement to be back…but I felt especially optimistic for some reason. I wasn't sure why. Something was tugging at the back of my thoughts, but it refused to surface. As if my coming to school was a good idea after all…and yet I didn't know why I felt like that either.

"We're here." Zelda said quietly as we sat in the car after parking. She gave me a reassuring smile and then patted my shoulder comfortingly. "Ready?"

I nodded after a moment's hesitation and then she hugged me fleetingly over the seat before hopping out of the car, closing the door, waving and heading off to the building. I got out of the vehicle myself, shut the door of the car, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. I must have missed a lot of work…my bag would be heavy by the time the day was over…not that it mattered. I wasn't planning on doing much of it. The actual school work and normal school stuff wasn't at the forefront of my mind. There was something more important and that's why I was at school. Or so I wanted to believe.

Setting my jaw with determination, I headed into the school, moving past groups of kids that were getting off their buses. A few of the seniors gave me curious and pitying glances, but I ignored them. I didn't know how everyone found out, but word spread quickly in a small town after all.

I immediately went to my locker once inside, dropping off the things I didn't need, pleased that all my supplies had still been waiting in the backpack after my time away. Then I went and took out my English binder and my pencil case along with the last book we were supposed to read. I felt really distracted about the whole thing, as my mind was consumed with thoughts on my duty as hero, but I tried my best to focus on the here and now.

Today, I knew it was English class first since it was Monday, and Mondays always started like this…On Tuesday, English would be after lunch…and…I didn't really feel like thinking about the schedule and I didn't really care much either. Hopefully I'd be able to leave for the other world before Wednesday. Not that it was likely…

Without a second thought, I weaved among the building crowds of kids and went to the English class, feeling strange thrills of anticipation for a reason unknown to me. It was almost as though there was some sort of pull that was making me _want _to go to class-this one in particular. I couldn't quite place my finger on it…

Only then did it dawn on me that I didn't know who the teacher was, since Ghirahim probably didn't bother coming here now that he had no apparent use for me…yet at the same time, I almost expected it to be him since I was feeling that same way that I always felt around him.

I stepped into the class, being the first one, just like I used to be. That hadn't changed, and nor had the teacher that I immediately saw leaning casually against his desk.

As though he'd been waiting for me.

I froze instinctively.

Some inevitable horror, along with something else-strange…relief?-ran through my veins and I stared, suddenly feeling a renewed sense of fear trickle down my spine; so he had met me here. It hadn't been a lie…that dream. Unless it had never happened.

More than a little freaked out, I continued to stare, my feet feeling heavy and glued to the ground, but I forced myself to walk forward.

Then his eyes landed on mine, dark, dangerous and satisfied, as though I'd just walked into a trap, yet also a bit optimistic in some strange sense. And my dream fell on me full force again, unsure how to gauge his reaction to me; had it been real or not? Either way, dream or not, I was screwed. Life really had it in for me.

"Oh, it's you."

/

**Next update will (should, ahaha) be in a week. :D**

**And I'd love it if you reviewed! ^.^**


	17. Facade

**A/N: This is chapter 17 for you! It's longer than last chapter, and I'm really sorry for the small wait. I said it would be up in a week, but then I lost internet access because I had a limit to how much I could use, but now that I'm back at my house (not at my cottage where I was all summer), I have Wi-Fi, so it's all good! I meant to update two days ago...okay, fine, that's hardly a wait, but still... ****:)**

**Anyways, thank you so much to anyone who reviewed last chapter or is following/has favorited! ^.^**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Happy reading!**

**/**

"Surprised to see me?" His voice drawled lazily. He raised one almost non-existent eyebrow and cocked his head, making his hair fall further over his face. The fine strands glimmered under the artificial, jarring lights in the school. Those same glaring fluorescent lights made his skin seem even clearer and paler than normal.

But I didn't answer his question. I _couldn't_ for one thing, and even if I could-I wouldn't have. I didn't know what I'd say, because I wasn't completely shocked or anything, nor was I entirely expecting this. I was strangely neutral about seeing him here. It didn't bother me. I didn't even feel like flipping out on him for _cutting out my tongue!_ It made me wonder what the hell was wrong with me.

Because there he was, acting as though we were old friends, as if I was perfectly okay, as though there was nothing wrong. And I didn't know _why._ Why was he here? Why was _Ghirahim _here?! And moreover, what if that dream hadn't been a dream? I hoped earnestly that it was all in my head because I had so willingly given myself to him and it was wrong and I just hoped he didn't mention it if it _had_ happened. I needed to get my head on straight because I wasn't sure what was up with my emotions, and I needed time to sort things out for myself before acting on anything.

"Mm…oh, right." He continued after my lack of response, "I forgot you couldn't talk. Maybe I was a touch harsh at our last encounter. I rather do miss our conversations."

I frowned slightly. 'Our last encounter' was referencing to the time that he practically killed me. So that meant that perhaps the dream had only been that. A dream, although that didn't explain how I was meeting him at the school when he had told me so last night. But then it also disturbed me that I'd liked the dream…Wow, this was getting complicated. If only that thing last night-dream or not-hadn't happened whatsoever. I didn't need any more confusion in my life. Already, I was reaching my limits of how many more weird things I could take.

_I have to do this…_

Words that I remember Ghirahim saying during that…violent encounter suddenly ran through my head…what had been his motives to hurt me was what bothered me. He said he had to do this-"this" presumably meaning hurting me. Why did he "have to"? Was there an ulterior motive, was he being ordered to? Then again, it could just be some internal conflict. Perhaps he had to hurt me because he needed to convince himself that he was stronger and more powerful than me.

Resisting the urge to sigh, I instead hardened my gaze. Ghirahim didn't seem to be in any rush, so my being caught up in my thoughts didn't seem to annoy him.

I glared and walked closer, not looking threatening, but not looking pleasant either. My footsteps made little tapping sounds on the hard floor and despite the normal school hustle and general noise, the sounds of my steps oddly stood out. Each one was poignant and sure.

But I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to make wrong assumptions about his recently stranger than normal behavior. I just wanted to find out why he was back and what he wanted from me this time, not to mention whether I could get back to the other world any time soon.

A faint knock on the door alarmed me and I spun around before realizing that it was just a kid wanting to drop off some of her work. I didn't recognize her, but she must have known who Ghirahim was, for she gave a hesitant smile and held out the papers like a good student. Meanwhile, I was glowering at Ghirahim like a not-so-good student. Oh, how I had changed, glaring at a teacher…not that he was a real teacher anyway.

Ghirahim sauntered over to the door and took the papers gracefully before shutting the door not very gracefully in said kid's face, dismissing her swiftly. I was pretty sure she was a freshman and her face was a bit shocked when she saw the door being shut in her face. Ghirahim gave me a bright smile (if you could call it that, but it seemed very mocking to me). I felt a twinge of envy for that girl. She was lucky that she wasn't caught up in this whole mess.

"I suppose I should do something to stop anyone from bothering us. I've wanted to talk to you for the past week, but you weren't in class. Shame, really. But now that you're here, I'm going to have to…_change_ some things."

I chewed on my lip nervously, unsure of what he meant.

But I understood a moment later when he snapped his fingers and everything suddenly stopped. All movement, all sound. It took me a heartbeat to realize that he had all but _stopped time._ I stared in shock. How-? And how did I know? Well, I noticed that the constant faint ticking of the clock was abruptly cut off, along with every other sound, so it seemed. The school noises was replaced with silence.

Ghirahim turned to look at me, chuckling at my expression. "Oh, I guess I have some explaining to do again." He commented. He sat down delicately on the edge of his desk in a spot where there weren't any papers. I continued to stand by tensely. He didn't seem like he was a threat right now, but I didn't want to appear too comfortable. "Come on boy, no need to look so frightened."

'_Oh, and you've given me all the reasons to _not_ be frightened…'_ I thought bitterly.

I shot him a dirty look and he smirked as I dumped my books onto the fourth desk from the wall in the second row, one row of desks in between us. Too much distance would look suspicious and I would have more trouble gauging his reactions. Too little distance would make me feel intimidated and would make me appear too comfortable. I sat on the edge of that desk beside my books. Ghirahim looked immensely amused at my careful actions.

"You want to know why I can change time." He stated after a moment of silence. I nodded tersely. "Well, let's just say that I was created by the goddess-"A shocked gasp came from me before I could stop it."-so I'm able to do lots of things here since I have lots of her _Grace's _power," He forced a laugh and then went on to examine his fingernails. He wasn't wearing his gloves, so his pale skin was visible. His hands were almost delicate looking. Each finger was tapered off at the end, the skin was clear and smooth, giving it an almost fragile like texture. I went on examining his hands, noticing as his eyes rose to glance briefly at me, "And this world it weakening, and so I can even _stop _time here. It's really quite simple. As my master strengthens, this world weakens. I'm channeling this world's energy into his reawakening, and he's also absorbing power for himself."

My eyes filled with confusion, which was clearly noted by Ghirahim, who quickly ran his hand through his hair, a habit of his that I noticed, and gave me an explanation. "This is all quite straining on the world, I suppose and my master is living here right now, so I guess it makes sense that the elements of time in this world can be altered almost effortlessly for me. I'm sure that the little blue sword spirit would be able to do so as well…that is, if she was here."

My eyes widened. Demise here? What did he mean? I supposed that explained why Ghirahim was here in the changed world in the first place. But if this meant there were two Demise's…that would be the death of me. And Fi…I needed her help so badly…but apparently, she wasn't in the changed world after all. At least I had a better idea of what was going on now…

Ghirahim rolled his eyes dramatically, interrupting my thoughts. "It's no fun talking to a mute." He commented, laughing derisively. "Come here."

I didn't move, disregarding his request.

"Sky child. Come over here right now."

I didn't move again.

Ghirahim huffed impatiently and then beckoned me closer. I didn't want to, but my feet started to take me towards him. I pursed my lips and walked around a plain student desk before standing tensely in front of him, where he was perched casually.

And then he grabbed me roughly, digging his fingernails into my shoulders (the layers of clothes not even making any difference) and pulled me onto his lap. Before I could even register what he'd done, my he'd captured my lips in his and I gasped in shock as his tongue slid into my mouth, playing with what was left of my tongue. My body immediately relaxed into the kiss and I, shocked at my behavior, jerked away. It was weird how easily I was letting things like this happen. And if that dream (which I was still doubting) had actually happened last night, I would be even more concerned with my behavior.

I shivered violently as he parted from me, my lips trembling. "I see they haven't helped your poor tongue that much, sky child. But If you want, I can fix it for you."

I scrambled off of his lap in shock and wiped off my mouth on the sleeve of my hoodie. I backed away, accidentally bumping into the desk I'd walked around to approach Ghirahim. I tripped clumsily and almost whacked my head off said desk.

I chanced a look at my adversary and scowled at the unimpressed, yet amused glimmer in his eyes. I caught my footing quickly and watched as Ghirahim snapped his fingers, a bottle appearing in his hand. I didn't get a chance to take a good look at the bottle before he uncorked it and something flew out. A fairy.

Frozen in surprise, I watched as the fairy flew over to me, glittering and glowing, before spiraling around my body, from my feet to my head. And then something weird happened.

I felt a tingly sensation in my hands, back and mouth, the latter of which freaked me out. My hands flew to my mouth in shock.

And then an uncomfortable tugging ran through the orifice, settling in my torn tongue. A mild pain set in and I winced, but the sensation was soon replaced with mere discomfort, which also faded. But now I felt…like I had something else in my mouth.

My eyes widened and I moved the appendage around hesitantly, surprised to find it…all perfectly fine and well. I saw in the corner of my eye, the fairy fly off somewhere, vanishing completely a moment later as it fluttered through one of the half opened windows lined up along the back wall of the class. Some rays of sunlight filtered through the glass, catching the little dust motes created by the chalk used for the black board.

"Wh-what the heck-!" I stuttered out, almost choking, trying to remember how to use the organ, feeling as though it was taking up _way _too much space. "Why d-did-ack!-you do that?!"

"Cat got your tongue, hero?" Ghirahim said in an amused voice, tossing the now empty bottle into the nearby garbage bin where it landed with a thunk. I glared at him as I ripped off the bandages that were on my hands, not that I was surprised to see the palms perfectly intact. The skin was a bit sensitive, but it was better than being all scarred and bloody. I tossed the bandages into the same waste basket.

My wrist didn't hurt either, not a surprise. Nor did my earlier back wound. My shoulders did hurt a bit, thanks to Ghirahim when he'd just recently grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap, but that was just a nuisance.

I ran my tongue over my teeth, trying to rein in some control from getting to use it again so suddenly.

"So, now we can talk." Ghirahim said, eyes glimmering in amusement, "I'm sure you have some questions that you'd like to voice."

"You're-"I took a moment to swallow and then walked back to where I was sitting earlier, getting straight to the point. "You're toying with these people's l-lives!"

Geez, I'd have to work on the "L" sound. It was a bit tricky right now.

"Toying? And what makes you say that?"

"You're del-liberately stopping time and giving them fake memories-you're manipul-"Dammit. Not again. "You're manipu_lating_ them."

Okay. That was difficult to say.

Ghirahim crossed his denim-clad legs. It was strange seeing him in such different attire, considering that he'd just been wearing his white body suit thing the last time I saw him…and that time last night, I hadn't seen what he wore. And yet he looked similar to the way he had when I had first thought he was my teacher.

"It's all in the way you look at it." He said after a slight pause. "You have Hylia and my Master to blame for my power. After all, they're the ones that bestowed it upon me-"

"Why did you bring me here?" I interrupted him smoothly. I didn't care if he got annoyed by that, because I needed to have answers and he was the only person who could provide them.

Ghirahim looked put off by my interruption. "Because you weren't pleasing me. Why else?"

_Greedy, selfish bastard._

"What? I wasn't satisfying you? How?"

His eyes darkened. "It's not about you."

"Then who's it about?" I pressed. There was something terribly wrong, and I could feel it in the suddenly tense atmosphere, the thickness of the air. Ghirahim was upset about something and he needed to get away from me. I wasn't sure why, but I could just tell through his tone of voice, his body language…so why'd he been wanting to talk to me?

"It's about my Master and myself. I needed you to get out of my way." He said vaguely. I frowned. "And stop asking such trivial questions!"

"Fine."

Ghirahim scoffed at me and then looked away to glare at some random spot on the wall to his right, in the general area of a piece of chart paper thumb-tacked to some cork board material.

"Ghirahim?" I said finally, breaking the silence and effectively gaining his attention. His eyes darted back to mine.

"What?" He replied sourly.

I scratched my cheek absently. "What's your problem?"

Ghirahim glared at me. "I don't have a _problem._"

"Yes you do." I insisted. "Why did you come here to talk to me then? And what was with last night-" My eyes widened when I said the last words. Would he not have any idea what I was talking about, or would he say some snide comment about it? I wished I could take back what I'd said.

Ghirahim cocked his head. "Last night?"

Relief flooded through me at his tone of voice, not judgmental or scornful, just mildly curious. "Nothing. Forget I said that."

But he wouldn't let that go. "Were you having naughty dreams about me, sky child?" A pleased lilt seeping into his voice.

"No, of course not!" I blurted out a bit too fast, blushing furiously.

"Must have been a vivid one, too…" He commented, smirking and ignoring my protests. "You should be grateful that I was there to help you play it out. It can't be healthy bottling up so much sexual tension."

I felt as though someone had smacked me.

He had been there.

Oh crap, I didn't even see that coming.

"I-just shut up!" I blushed again, but I was able to glare angrily at him at the same time. This was like a nightmare. He…he was there, which meant that he saw how I was acting. And I was so blatantly aroused and I couldn't even deny it. "You molested me while I was sleeping!"

"I can assure you that you were perfectly awake." He clarified, only making me angrier. I repressed the urge to stamp my foot on the floor like a little kid having a tantrum.

"Gah! Just what's your damn problem already?! Why the heck did you want me to meet you here?!"

His smirk vanished and was replaced with an annoyed glare, yet I wasn't feeling terribly intimidated. Ghirahim was acting strange, and I wasn't feeling particularly nervous around him. Luckily he wasn't in a violent mood right now, but I knew how quickly that could change. "I came to check up on you, but now I'm regretting it since you're being such a brat."

I momentarily forgot about the time last night as concern flooded through me. Ghirahim had wanted to check up on me and that was more important than some minor thing that happened last night-no matter how furious and embarrassed I was about it.

I blinked. He came to see if I was alright. That's what his words translated into. What Ghirahim was doing, I didn't understand. Everything was suddenly changing. And it all started with his unhealthy obsession. Then it made itself apparent when he'd slapped me.

And then it was when he said he had to hurt me.

And now he had come to check up on me. After getting rid of me and then seeing me last night. But surely he didn't want to completely get rid of me because then he wouldn't have come to talk to me, and he'd have probably just killed me. Then he wouldn't have seen me last night.

Ugh, it was getting too bewildering and my head was hurting the more I tried to rationalize about the circumstances. Ghirahim was up to something. He was distracted, had something on his mind. It was almost as if his obsession had turned into something else. Stupid thread of fate had me feeling strange too.

I wished that all this wasn't so hard to understand. Ghirahim clearly was having trouble with something, and after thinking long and hard about all that had happened between us, I was starting to believe that maybe there was something more to Ghirahim, something that even he was having difficulties understanding. Something under the facade he insisted on hiding behind, either that, or he was still unaware.

But talking with him wasn't going to help. He was bent on getting his master back, he was conflicted about some complex thing I wouldn't understand since I was caught up in my own troubles. And Ghirahim was exceedingly stubborn. He wasn't going to suddenly stop talking in riddles and explain everything. He must have been in denial for whatever he was thinking about.

Unless I was looking too much into his odd demeanor. That was always a possibility. I did have a tendency to over think stuff like this.

"Ghirahim?" I spoke quietly. "Why did you come? Just be honest."

I looked up to find his eyes already trained on me. He looked thoughtful and a bit apprehensive, closed off.

"I came because I had business to attend to and I decided to check up on you to see how you were faring, rather than have a lengthy conversation in the middle of the night. Of course, this was the ideal location since it wouldn't rouse suspicion among anyone. Another thing I knew was that you were coming here either way, so it was quite simple." He finally revealed. I guessed that was the best answer I'd be getting from him.

I frowned and my brows drew together. I wasn't sure why, but when he said that, it sounded as though he cared about me. It disturbed me.

"Ghirahim, you're acting weird."

He raised his eyebrows lazily. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean that you're acting like something's bothering you. Tell me what it is."

I didn't know what had given me such confidence, but maybe it was because I had been through his torture, I had been with him sexually (…not that I wanted to recall any of those times) and I wasn't really feeling like he'd do anything worse than that. A confidence boost was what I'd gotten from that. And some confusing insight on Ghirahim himself.

"Why the sad face, sky child?"

I raised my eyes. "I'm not…sad. I'm just thinking. I'm confused." I paused. "And I want you to bring me back to the other world."

Ghirahim shook his head, his earring swaying with the movement, the facets catching the light and making it glitter. "I don't think that's exactly what you want to be doing. If you're really the goddess' chosen hero, then you'd want to stop me from raising my master, and I don't really believe that you'd be doing much help from over there, but perhaps I can work something out."

What he said sounded vaguely like some sort of hint.

I curled my hands into fists. "Just stop talking in riddles and tell me in plain English! I don't know what the heck you want, but thanks for healing me and if you really want to help me-"

"I don't want to help you, _pet. _And I _am _talking in English-it's you who cannot understand simple phrasing. You do remember that I offered to tutor you. The offer's still up."

"I'm not your pet! I'm just trying to figure out some things and you're being impossible!" I began, "And stop playing around with me!"

Ghirahim brushed some hair out of his face casually. "Let's leave the talking for some other time. Now I've been missing my pet, and I think it's time we caught up on some things. Last night was refreshing, but still not _enough_."

I shivered involuntarily and my hands went limp. I sighed. He wasn't going to help me at all. Good for nothing demon.

He growled softly and I blinked, looking up to see him standing near me. Holy Farore, he was way too quiet when he walked. I flinched back when I saw him so much closer.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" I asked. My voice was wary and…sounded defeated, resigned to whatever he was planning. It wasn't like me.

"_Everything_." He growled back possessively. The words send shivers down my spine and suddenly, I was roughly grabbed and picked up. Needless to say, I was surprised and I struggled weakly, not feeling it in me to resist right now. I felt guilty to be going along with this. I felt like a disappointment to Zelda and everyone else, even though Ghirahim and I were the only ones who knew about our rather intimate encounters. I was still feeling the emotional conflict as though it was fresh. And what was with the sudden changes in mood? One moment, it was tense, the next he was practically dripping with lust.

I'd never understand the bipolar demon...

I ceased my struggling since it only made me breathless, and I reluctantly went along with him as he carried me to the wall near the door. I peeked outside the small window on the door leading to the hall and my eyes widened. It was creepy like anything. I saw a few random students. Frozen, mid step. Some students were standing near their plain gray locker doors, also frozen. The picture was very disconcerting.

It wasn't right. Ghirahim had done this and I didn't like it one bit. I supposed it didn't affect me since I wasn't supposed to be in this world, but still…that wasn't what bothered me. It was the way that he really had just stopped time. Something like that shouldn't have been possible, and yet it was. This world really was messed up and it wasn't leaving me with a good feeling as I was reminded.

Suddenly, the air was knocked out of my lungs as I was pressed to the wall, harshly, almost getting my head slammed into the fire alarm handle, which was just near my left ear. I gasped at the impact. He wasn't exactly being gentle, no-quite the opposite. Before I could object, Ghirahim grabbed my wrists in one hand and held them together above my head, making me wince terribly as I was almost picked up by the wrists. My right wrist was still sensitive, too.

And then he swiftly captured my lips in his, possessively, unhealthily, in a way that was scarily obsessed. I groaned and stared wide eyed at all the _need _that was being put into the kiss. It was freaky like anything how desperate it felt.

I tried to keep my mouth closed, but when I felt his tongue run along the seam of my lips, gasping by mistake, he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. I felt his tongue slip into my mouth and he wasted no time in rubbing it sensually with and around my own-now perfectly fine-one. I blinked a few times in shock at the rawness of the kiss, so unlike all his other lust-driven ones, incidentally noticing the way his snowy white eyelashes fluttered softly when his eyelids slid shut.

But I also noticed the way his very pale, thin eyebrows were drew together in an anxious expression. It was upsetting to me. I didn't know what Ghirahim was doing, I didn't know why he was behaving like this.

His other hand was pinning me to the wall, forcefully pressing into my chest, and running up to trace my jawline. And then his hand let my wrists go. They tingled uncomfortably and I let my arms down to my sides awkwardly. I didn't push him away, but I didn't kiss him back either as he slowed the pace of his kisses. I never really kissed him back. He always did everything and initiated every encounter. My breath hitched in my throat a few times as warmth spread throughout my body and I wasn't sure how to behave, so I just stood there, blinking in confusion, not acting on the few embarrassing urges to return the actions. I wasn't here to make out with him.

But less than a second later, he pulled back and his eyes opened. He blinked a few times and I stared back. Then his eyes flitted to the clock mounted on the other wall for a second.

"Well, I'm done here," He dragged his thumb over my bottom lip, making me shudder, "I have to go actually. Have fun at school, sky child."

He leaned back, giving me breathing space. I panted a few times, embarrassed by my flushed cheeks.

"Where are you going?" I said quietly. I wasn't sure why I asked.

He tilted his head and ran a hand through his hair again in something close to anxiety. He seemed to be worried about something. "That's none of your concern. I have important things to do here-"

"So you'll still be in the changed world?"

Ghirahim nodded once, eyes serious. He took a few steps back, turning away from me to glance up at the clock again. _7:55am._ Then he turned around to look at me over his shoulder.

"Can't keep time frozen forever." He commented in a more amused tone, more like himself-or the Ghirahim that I knew in the past. "Remember to study, hero, I wasn't joking when I said I'd still tutor you if you're up for it."

I scoffed and glared at the demon, who flashed me a brilliant grin.

"But who's going to be my teacher if you're oh-so-conveniently leaving right now?" I retorted scathingly.

"I'll arrange something for you brats." He replied. I assumed he meant the other students that would have been in his class. Then he shot me his trademark smirk before snapping his fingers and vanishing from the room.

At the same time, the clock started up again.

I sighed, my lips still tingling, and took a few steps away from the wall in time to hear a knock at the door. I frowned and then opened the door to see Instructor Horwell standing there holding a clipboard and his work bag. He blinked in surprise to see me. His long brown hair was tied back in a low slung ponytail. He used to be my biology teacher when I was going to school here. And in the other world, he was my instructor at the Knight Academy. The movement in the hallway behind him had started up again, along with it, that constant hum of general noise.

My eyes widened slightly. "Professor Horwell-Uh, I…haven't seen you in a while." I managed to say in halting words. I took a step away from the door, hyper aware of my blushing face and my flustered voice.

"Ah, yes, Link isn't it?" He replied, not noticing my embarrassed appearance. I nodded. He walked into the room and put down his things on the desk at the front of the room, right in the place where Ghirahim had been sitting. I watched in confusion. "I was just informed that I was supposed to teach my 1st period bio to my grade 11s here. I was a bit surprised at the short notice, so I put a sign on my class door telling all 1st period students in this class to come here."

I bit my lip. Ghirahim was behind this mix up. When he snapped his fingers, he started time again, he vanished, and he also must have rearranged the school a bit to accommodate his sudden leaving. That's what he meant when he said that he'd 'arrange something'. It was unnerving and honestly very frustrating, especially for me since I had to rethink everything and figure out what to do now.

Horwell looked over at me. "You're in my 2nd period class, Link, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I was supposed to have English here, but I don't know…"

"I was told that all 1st period grade 12 English students were having a time table switch. I suggest you go ask at the office."

"Okay," I swallowed nervously. Screw Ghirahim and his messing around. He'd really done it this time. And I actually thought that he'd arrange everything nicely so I'd have a quick mind-numbing day of school work to get the brain working, before heading home and making some hero-like plans. Was that too much to wish for? "I'll go ask. Thanks Professor!"

I turned to leave, but I heard my name again, so I looked back at Professor Horwell.

"Oh, Link? You're seeming much better now. It's nice to see you at school again-but I have lots of work you need to catch up on, so feel free to stay for lunch if you need help."

I thanked him again. Maybe Ghirahim had also made everyone think that I didn't actually lose my tongue. That would be a hard one to explain otherwise.

_Oh, Link! How did you grow your tongue back?_

_The doctors must have really known what they were doing!_

_Link, that's fantastic that your tongue's okay!_

Yeah. Those were conversations that I'd rather avoid.

I forced a smile and waved briefly, grabbing my binder and other supplies where they were in the second row. I quickly left that class just as I saw a few grade 11s trail into the room. I saw a bright blonde head of hair and my eyes darted over to see Zelda.

She noticed me (as I was the only one headed in the opposite direction) and waved brightly. I forced another smile and then left, trying to quickly get to the office so that I wouldn't be late for my first class. Ghirahim messed everything up for me. I didn't know what to do about the whole 'raising Demise' thing, I wasn't even sure where he'd gone. And at the same time, I was trying to go to school like a normal kid, under not so normal circumstances. Maybe it'd just be best to not go to school. I had to find Ghirahim again and I couldn't just let him get away with this screw up.

Either way, I turned right into the busy hallway, weaving among the school day crowds, and hurried until I reached the next corner, making a left. I walked past the rows of lockers until I was near my destination. Then I saw the office door to my left and I walked in as calmly as I could. I headed up to the front desk where the secretary was. The office was a calm place, and was almost soundproof. The air was cleaner feeling, sterile, as opposed to all warm and stuffy like the hallways.

I was the only student here, so I just walked straight up to the desk. The red haired secretary was sitting behind the desk, looking bored to death. She blinked lazily a few times, hearing my approach.

The moment that Anju, the secretary looked up, I voiced my question, only realizing then that there wasn't any Anju's in the other world. Then again, there were lots of people here that weren't in the other world. Maybe that's what Ghirahim meant when we were talking about the instruments I played here. He said that 'those instruments were never meant to exist in the changed world since they don't exist here…at least…not with any importance.' It probably went the same way with people. Anju probably wasn't supposed to exist in this world or time, whatever, since there was no Anju in the other world. It was probably something you're not supposed to question.

It made me confused, but I shook the theory off. It wasn't important. "Um, excuse me, I'm supposed to be in 1st period grade 12 English, but there's been a room change and now grade 11 bio is in that room."

She looked slightly flustered and confused at the question. "…Eh?! You are…looking for your timetable switch like the others that came earlier?"

I blinked. "Yeah, I think so. That's what Professor Horwell told me."

"Let me see."

She turned to her laptop, which was sitting on the desk in front of her that was covered in a chaotic mass of various papers and forms, and started to type in some stuff. "What's your student number?"

"Uh, 211986."

She typed in the numbers and then scanned the screen, for a few moments, the synthetic screen light gave her skin an almost sickly hue, accentuating her bored-out-of-her-mind expression and the faint shadows under her eyes. In fact, Anju looked really tired, probably from having to sit there all day long with nothing to do. "So your classes were supposed to be English, bio then…wait one moment."

Anju furrowed her brow and then narrowed her eyes at the screen, scrolling down on the mouse a bit. "I'm terribly sorry, but there're no English classes for grade 12s in 1st period anymore…We'll have to get that fixed."

I nodded. Next time I see Ghirahim, I'd have to congratulate him on messing up the whole timetable things, rather than fixing it, like he implied he'd do.

"Oh…" Anju frowned and then looked at me, distractedly. "I'm sorry about the mix up. I recommend that you join 1st period business and marketing for the meantime. It's an open class. I'll try to figure something out, and will call you down to the office when it's all organized again. I just have to contact the teacher…uh…it's Rupin…yes, Mr. Rupin."

I internally groaned. No…I wasn't going to go to that class. Ugh. Rupin. Changed world or not, he was really annoying and had a short temper.

No way was I going to a class with him being the teacher. "Okay. Thanks. What room number is it?"

Anju glanced over at the computer screen for the third time or so. "Room 201, second floor!"

"Thanks."

She waved at me in a flustered way and then I left the quiet office, the door closing behind me. If she thought I'd be going to class, she was mistaken. Everything was already messed up and I had really important things to do rather than go to a class I wasn't even properly signed up for. That could wait. I bet that Ghirahim deliberately set up the classes like that so that I'd have to get Rupin. Ugh, and he was probably laughing at my misfortune. I would never get a break, would I?

But I wasn't going to go, 'cause I had other important stuff to do. After all, I wasn't even supposed to be in this world, so missing a class like business and marketing wasn't a great loss. I supposed that the mindless school day would have to be postponed.

So with that thought in mind, I returned to my locker, grabbed my stuff and then walked down the almost empty hall, to the nearest exit, hearing the bell ring just as the first class started. But I wasn't going anymore.

There was a certain demon I had to find and it couldn't wait any longer.

/

**A/N: So, it's a bit of a change of pace, being in the other world and all that, but I hope you liked it anyway. And Link's student number was 211986 because the first Zelda game was released on February **_**21, 1986.**_** I hope I got the right date, I'd double checked on a bunch of different sites just to make absolute sure.**

**Anyways, I'd love to hear back from you! Next chapter _should_ be posted in a week. :/**


	18. Master

**A/N: Hey, I'm back! After about a week! And school's started for me, too -_- School...meh. At least it forces me to get out of bed in the morning and not sleep in until after noon hahaha :P And if forces me to stop being an antisocial fruit, lol, just kidding...kind of. Ahem, anyway, moving on.**

**Lots of plot stuff in this chapter, no warnings except for some sexual implications and the ever present angstynesssss :)**

**And a _big_ thank you to _all_ of you reading this; _guests, followers, people who have faved this story, and all reviewers_! I know I've said this before, but I can't thank you all enough! ;D**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Happy reading! ^.^**

**/**

I had just gotten off the school property after dropping my bag off in my car when I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. I didn't even know where I was going nor what I was doing. My lack of knowledge on what Ghirahim's plans were was starting to grate on me and I wished desperately that there was some clear direction in which to go-some instructions of what to do and how to go about doing that thing. It was terrible not knowing any of thos information, only knowing the general overview of the situation and my task.

If Fi was here, she'd have been able to help and point me in the right direction and I wouldn't just be standing here without any idea of what to do.

But I wasn't standing there for very long when some car (not an expensive sports car like what Ghirahim had) drove by and jerked me out of my thoughts. I didn't want anybody to find out that I just walked out on going to school, least of all Zelda. She wouldn't be angry at me, just disappointed, and I was already feeling disappointed in myself enough. That was worse than any anger. I almost wished that she was the type to have temper tantrums because then I wouldn't be left with a constant gnawing guilt in my heart, tainted more by regret at my sometimes rash decisions. If she was the type to have temper tantrums, then the worst of it would be over quickly.

Not going to school was irking me, but at least I had a really legitimate and important reason. It was for everyone else's own good in both the changed world and the original world. If they knew that, missing a day of school wouldn't be anything to get upset over. But they-namely Zelda-didn't know, so I was left with having to lie to her, and make up some believable reason for why I wasn't there. If things went well, and I actually did find some leads, then maybe I would be returned to my world soon and wouldn't have to make up excuses for the unexpected missed day. If not, I could easily say I was feeling sick. Right now I certainly was. My chest felt constricted with something akin to nausea, my head felt heavy and I was shivering, despite the fairly nice weather.

It was clear as to why I felt this way. It was all emotional things that were affecting my physical state. I was so riled up about the incidents with Ghirahim and thoroughly confused that I was starting to feel it in my body. But as there was no toilet to throw up in right at the moment and I didn't really want to, I tried to keep the nausea at bay.

Fi told me a while ago that I had…three months or something until Ghirahim's master awakens. I was pretty certain that three months had been the allotted time…But about a month had passed…or not…My head was all confused and I could barely remember the days anymore, they blurred together so quickly.

But _if_ it was about a month that passed…then there were only about two months left to finish Ghirahim off, or at least interfere in his plans. I didn't see how that would be possible with everything that had happened-meaning nothing productive. I was practically an imbecile for a while, I was captured by a demon. None of those things could be considered especially helpful to my current situation.

If I had at least one lead, one good idea of what Ghirahim was up to and how to stop him (which would include finding Fi and his residences), then I could do something useful and maybe get a step closer to ending all this.

I sighed and walked along the sidewalk despondently. I thought about driving home, and I considered the idea for a few moments. I wasn't worried about whether Zelda would have a way back because she never went home with me anyway, as I was usually tutoring music students, and she usually went out with her friends after school. It was surprising how well I remembered these things, considering this wasn't my real home. But in the end, I decided that I would drive back to my house. I would need to get the car back anyways and it wouldn't hurt to just get it over with.

With something to do finally, I went to get my car and I pulled out the car key from my pocket before sticking it in the lock at the driver's side and unlocking the door. I got into the car and closed the door and put on the seat belt before putting my foot on the clutch, starting the engine, shifting gears to put the vehicle in reverse, and releasing the hand brake. I had a standard car as opposed to an automatic, so it was a bit more complicated. Ever since Ghirahim had broken the news to me that I was only able to drive because of him, I was noticing everything I did when it came to driving. It bothered me that he gave me that knowledge (however that could be, it hardly made any sense) and I didn't like to know that he just could put memories and information into people's heads like that.

Shivering uncomfortably, I bit my lip to stop worrying about it, and I looked behind me before backing the car out of its parking space.

The drive back through Skyloft was nothing interesting. I took the same roads I always took, past the bazaar in the busier part of town, then into the residential area. It didn't help to clear my head since I was thinking fretfully the whole way, but it gave me the sense that I was off to go somewhere and I had things that had to be done. It was a false sense of duty, but it was over soon enough when I pulled into my driveway and cut the engine, frowning irritably. There wasn't anything else I could do now.

With no ideas coming to mind, I just got out of the car and paced around outside, not even bothering to go inside, without looking where I was going. I dragged my feet for a little bit in the grass.

And soon I ended up following the same path I'd followed when I first saw Fi…well, when I first saw her after being sent to the changed world for the first time. I shrugged to myself and walked casually into the woods, where the bright sun's rays couldn't completely permeate.

I let my mind wander for a few moments as I headed towards that old building I'd found earlier. Since I had my memories back, I was able to remember that the building was the same as the one at the sealed grounds in the other world. I smiled slightly as I was able to remember easily. Once, I'd have been creeped out at knowing stuff I didn't know I had, but now I was merely satisfied at the extra information.

Soon, I reached the building after the small trek through the dense forest. It was the same-looking as ever, vines crawling along the near decrepit stone walls, moss slicked and bleached with age…and I was glad that it was another thing that hadn't changed. With confident steps, I walked over to the building, leaving the shelter of the trees, less obstructed sunlight shining down. I didn't know what had brought me here, only that I wanted to be alone and had so much pent-up energy that needed to be used. I needed to do something to stop feeling so guilty and useless about anything, even if that thing was just as simple as taking a walk and thinking. If I really thought about it, I supposed that I even felt a pull to this place. It was hard to describe the feeling.

I sighed when I was in the almost-crumbling building, now in shadows, the air temperature having dropped considerably since entering. I left the huge door the way that it had been before, partially cracked open as I slipped inside.

Nothing had changed so I just assumed that I was the only one who'd been here since last time. After all, if Ghirahim had frozen time a while ago, then surely not much could have happened within the time I was recovering. This place would be a good place to just relax and think in the future. Nobody else seemed to know about it, so I was practically guaranteed time alone and silence-

A weird shuffling sound met my ears, completely contradicting my last thought, and I tensed up at the disturbance. I had thought too soon. Like always. I had this awful knack for jumping to conclusions all the time. Most of the time, they seemed to be wrong and this time was no exception.

For a second, the word 'loftwing' ran through my mind, but I shook it away, knowing that there weren't any loftwings here to shuffle around and tap on windows. That would be ridiculous.

No, it had to be someone or some sort of animal or creature.

Or there was always the brilliant concept that it was just the wind.

_Yeah right._

There was barely a breeze in here, and the dust motes didn't seem to be stirred up by anything other than my few footsteps, so wind certainly wasn't the cause of the sound.

I carefully, silently went to one of the inside walls and pressed my body up against the mossy, ancient, slightly damp and cold stones, listening again, just like that useless time in Ghirahim's residence. Y'know, the loftwing thing. That run in with the animal had left me with false hope at escape. I had, in the end, made it out of there, but not in the way I'd have liked since I'd only made it out without a tongue (shudder) and with other severe injuries.

So I was listening again, the sound didn't fail to alert me, and I just could tell that it was footsteps. They were getting louder and more poignant in the otherwise silent place.

My eyes flickered around the room until I saw the intruder of my solitude. It was so ironic that I almost laughed out loud, but luckily, I restrained myself. It was needless to say his name. It was kinda obvious by now. But honestly, why did our paths have to cross so darn often?! And didn't he leave the school before me-so what kept him if this really was his destination? He probably was busy changing or something.

Sigh, but perhaps he was looking for me again and had finished his business already and was coming to 'check up' on me again. Geez, can I never get a break?

He walked casually inside of the structure, confidence radiating off of him again, not wavering like it sometimes did in my presence. I supposed I was to blame for that for whatever reason.

He always seemed so on edge around me, especially recently, even though he was continuously putting on that 'I'm so much holier than thou' mask. Ugh. It annoyed me to no end, but still, here he was, meandering into the building as though he owned it. For all I knew, maybe he did, although I found that kind of hard to imagine. If Ghirahim really did own this building, then he would probably have spruced up the place and made it look all spiffy and to his style or something. Right? He wasn't subtle in personality, nor in interior decorating, not to mention clothing choice, and he definitely would have cleaned up the dust and everything if he cared.

Right now he was back to wearing his one-piece white jumpsuit thing that had become sort of like his trademark. His red cape thing wasn't on all the way, and was slung, almost casually, over one shoulder. It had an odd effect. From my place paralyzed against the wall in half-shadows, I could see his earring swinging around from his pointed ear with each gleeful step. I didn't really get why he was smirking like that either, when there was nobody else besides me around, and he didn't seem aware of my presence. His eyes hadn't flickered to me once. Hopefully, I'd keep it like that for a little while at least, and so I was still pressed against the wall, not moving, barely even breathing. My heart refused to calm down, though.

I only hoped that Ghirahim couldn't hear its panicked thumping in my chest, as though it wanted to escape.

"Hm, hmm-hmm mmm…"

I frowned. He was humming, too. Wow, was he in a good mood or something? Funny thing was that he _still_ didn't even seem to know that I was only about 15 feet from him, concealed in shadows. If he kept on coming, he'd surely see me.

For a tense second, I swear I saw his eyes drift over to my place in the darkness, and his step faltered as he tensed, but he blinked a few times, seeming to shake it off. Hopefully he hadn't noticed me.

Some point, when he looked away, I'd have to move farther away if I wanted to keep spying on whatever he was doing, or even if I wanted to just get the heck out of here. I didn't even know that Ghirahim knew about this place.

Ghirahim then turned around and then looked at the entrance to the building, where the door was cracked open a bit. I found it odd how he hadn't just teleported here, but then again, maybe it took up energy.

That was a possibility. Otherwise, he'd be teleporting all over the place.

Even with his back turned to me, I didn't trust myself to move quietly enough to avoid detection, so I remained, back seemingly glued to the wall. Ghirahim could turn around and see me at any moment, so I suppose I was better off where I was.

An eternity seemed to pass as Ghirahim just stood there, seemingly waiting for something to happen, or someone to come. Hopefully not the latter. Whatever 'friends' Ghirahim had couldn't mean anything good for me. It was probably only five minutes later that there was a faint creaking on the door and more light seeped into the building. I couldn't quite see who it was because of the back light, but I knew that it was probably whoever Ghirahim was waiting for. So it _had_ been a 'who', rather than a 'what'.

Holding my breath in anticipation, I watched as the figure came more into focus, walking with big strides towards Ghirahim, who was now acting more subdued now that his company had arrived.

The figure became easier to make out as it came nearer, and then I saw what they looked like, but it didn't answer the question as to who he-yes it was a 'he'-was or what the heck he was doing here.

He was tall, for one thing. Probably Ghirahim's height or so, but he was stockier and looked more muscular. He was dressed in dark clothing and had flame colored hair. His skin was a darker shade, and it really stood out when compared to Ghirahim's pale skin tones. His features were sharp and fierce.

The strange man had an aura of menace and I cringed into the wall, knowing that he was obviously not good news for me if he associated with Ghirahim.

When he had gotten closer to Ghirahim, roughly 6 feet or so, the strange man stopped walking and he seemed to loom over the demon, even though they were the same height more or less. Ghirahim shivered slightly and then, shocking me, he bowed deeply.

"Master." He murmured, head still bowed.

The man grunted an acknowledgement and Ghirahim straightened, moving so that I could see a bit of his profile, but he was still mostly facing away from me. I could see only a part of his face. "I see that you're as subservient as ever, Ghirahim." His voice was gruff and low and his eyes were a funny gold and dark reddish shade. I could only tell because of the way the sun shone through some cracks in the ceiling. Otherwise, they looked black, glimmering slightly.

Then his eyes flitted around the room. Okay…I wasn't in a good position. If either of these people saw me, I was sure to get in some sort of trouble. It might actually be better if Ghirahim was to spot me. He seemed to have some sort of weird obsession for me, so maybe I could use that to my advantage and he wouldn't kill me-he could convince his…master…not…to…?

Wait a second…had Ghirahim really called this guy his _master_?! Hold up here!

N…no that didn't make any sense. I would remember Demise from my battle with him. I knew it happened a while back, but I swear I'd have remembered, and although this man had the same aura as Demise, he just…no, the pieces didn't fit. Perhaps listening a bit more would help me-maybe shed some light on what was going on.

The man who Ghirahim referred to as his master was now staring Ghirahim down, and the latter was obliging. He had a submissive yet still somehow dignified air about him now, as opposed to his overly-happy one earlier. He'd been practically bouncing off his feet until this man had come.

"I hear the hero was in the hospital, Ghirahim." He was saying. I flinched slightly at the word 'hero', which probably referred to me-and then internally kicked myself for the action. I couldn't afford to make any sudden movements lest they spot me. "Was that your doing?"

Ghirahim nodded, "Yes, Master. It was for you."

The last comment made me quirk an eyebrow. He had hurt me for his master? Okay then. That made little sense. Unless he was not doing it on his will-hurting me and all. But Ghirahim had always seemed so bloodthirsty, so I doubted that that could possibly be the case. Ghirahim had wanted to hurt me…and if he didn't-say he _stopped_ wanting to-would be just plain weird…no possible way that was the reason. Nu-uh.

I was so caught up in my mind that I almost missed the man's response. "But where is he now?" He seemingly ignored the last statement as much as I had internally obsessed over it. "Are you sure he won't interfere in our plans?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure." Ghirahim said confidently. "He's attending school. I decided to bring him here to he'd be away from my residence where I have his sword. The sky child doesn't know of any plans of ours. He's completely and adorably clueless-"

"Yes, yes Ghirahim. You've told me lots about your…infatuation." Ghirahim's master interrupted impatiently. I felt my stomach do a little flip at Ghirahim's doting tone when he said 'adorably clueless'. It made me feel light headed. But strangely, not in a bad way. Oddly enough, I didn't really mind that Ghirahim was talking about me like that to someone else. I was actually a bit embarrassed-but I was vehemently going to deny getting flustered over something stupid like that.

Pull yourself together, Link…

"Why couldn't you just leave him in the original world? Better yet, why not dispose of him?" The man continued. Ghirahim looked at the ground awkwardly and I almost laughed for the second time since I'd entered the building. Ghirahim, _awkward?!_ That was something you didn't see every day.

He raised his dark eyes to the man. "I...thought he could be of use to us after you have completely awakened with your original self and have full power ag-"

"Yes, I know that, but how can you ensure that he won't interfere? The kid seems to have the uncanny ability of showing up at the most crucial moments. It could cause issues."

Ghirahim frowned. "I am aware of this." He blinked in an almost annoyed demeanor, but didn't make it too noticeable. Either way, the other man didn't take note of the slight irritation, perhaps since he didn't know the demon as well as I knew him. "But I had injured the boy. He probably won't want to be involved in any more fights any time soon." He paused. "I severed his tongue, Master. He probably will not be keen on having it happen again."

I winced at the last comment and made sure to move my tongue around in my mouth to make sure that it really was back to normal. Luckily, it felt normal.

Ghirahim's alleged master gave an approving nod, which made me sick. "Well, I suppose that must have traumatized him enough. I'm surprised that you were able to do such a thing when you're so…possessive of the boy. I didn't think that you'd be able to hurt him at this point..."

Ghirahim made a small sound of agreement, but it sounded uncomfortable. I squinted from where I was in the shadows to examine the demon's expression. He didn't look proud, that was for sure. He looked a bit ashamed and regretful. And I knew I couldn't be imagining it. Rarely did Ghirahim look so down on himself. He hid it just enough that the other man didn't seem to take notice once again. I wasn't that surprised. He seemed too absorbed in whatever 'plans' he had than Ghirahim's behavior.

"I, uh," Ghirahim started again, "I made sure to heal him, today, though."

The impressed sound that his master had made was not repeated. But he did sigh. "Well, I guess I should have expected as much. You did imply that with your earlier comment."

Yes, because Ghirahim had said 'He probably will not be keen on having it happen again.'

_Again. _Ugh, as if. I wasn't a masochist.

Or at least, I didn't think I was.

There was some silence that followed and I found myself wanting to edge my way the heck out of here, but the strange man was almost completely facing this direction and I didn't think it wise to move. He just couldn't quite see me thanks to the shadows, but I knew that if I moved, he'd notice something. I couldn't risk that. It could mean trouble for me.

"Either way," Ghirahim broke the silence, "I'll make sure to keep him out of the way. He doesn't know what is in the works, so I can assure you that it will all go as planned."

The man glared at the demon, who in turn flinched slightly. "You'd better be right. There are still five more days including today until the transformation is complete, and there can't be any setbacks. You did say that the last day's ritual would take the longest, considering the need of the goddess sword."

My blood turned to ice. Five more days. Five. Not three months or whatever it had been. No. _Five_ _days. Just five_.

Meaning that I only had five days to stop whatever was taking place. This 'transformation' sounded like it was when Demise would be resurrected. Ghirahim had told me that his master was in this world, so did that mean that this man, who he called his master, was Demise? In another form?

And the 'transformation' was probably what would happen to change this man fully into Demise.

Crap. Not good. And they were going to use the master sword, too. Yikes.

Part of me wanted to go and attack them right now, or something crazy like that, but the other, more reasonable part decided against it, so I did the latter. I breathed out shakily, yet quietly, and then continued to watch. My body was trembling ever so slightly.

"Yes, I repeat that he will not interfere." Ghirahim was sounding annoyed again. I could see his stance was rigid with impatience. I knew him too well for my own good.

The other man, his master, nodded again, seemingly finally satisfied with his sword spirit's answer. He didn't say anything, though and there was a small pause in the conversation. Ghirahim's impatience waned and he was back to his normal-well, normal for being around his master-behavior. I could sense that he wanted to say something more, and I waited to hear what it was. A moment of silence passed and then Ghirahim's voice came out again.

"But Master? There is something else I wanted to inquire about." The demon spoke. "It's about the hero."

I felt myself perk up in interest. Most of this conversation seemed to center around me, and I hated when people talked about me behind my back. Or when they talked about me, _thinking_ I didn't know or wasn't hearing, when I really _did hear._ Like now, I was listening in, and they didn't know. At least I was getting some important information. Not that I had any way to use it quite yet.

"Go ahead, you may speak." His master said, voice echoing slightly around the large room.

"I was wondering whether it would be possible to keep the boy after you have risen to power-as a pet, you may say."

_Nice try, Ghirahim._ I thought, _He'll never agree to this. I'm too much of a threat-_

But I was proved wrong. "Very well," His master said after only a moment of hesitation. What the heck?! "You may keep him."

An elated grin spread across the demon's face. It made me annoyed, yet not as much as I would have thought. What was with all this 'pet' stuff anyways? "Thank you master. Now we can proceed with the ritual?"

The man nodded gruffly and Ghirahim turned and lead him farther into the structure. I sighed in relief as I lost sight of them. Thank the goddesses.

I hadn't been spotted and I had information.

But what was I going to do with it? I didn't want to hang around to see whatever 'ritual' was being done. It would be a waste of time at the present moment, and would probably just increase my chances of getting caught. From what I could tell, Ghirahim was planning on awakening his master and raising him to full power after five days, then he was going to come fetch me and take over the world with his master, and me as a pet.

No. I wouldn't let that happen. But I wasn't currently able to do anything to stop it from happening either. My top priority was to get to the other world and find Fi _before _Ghirahim could use it for whatever finishing ritual he would perform, then I would go and end this once and for all. And then Ghirahim's master would never be able to completely awaken.

/

I wasn't feeling very optimistic.

After hearing Ghirahim and his master leave, I had gotten the heck out of the old stone building, then I had returned to my house as soon as I could. It was still morning, and I didn't have any good ideas of what to do. I felt helpless.

Again.

So I'd just hung around at my house, did some school work to keep myself busy-rather _tried _to, then I paced around restlessly, almost threw up again but luckily didn't…And now it was around seven o'clock in the evening already. Zelda had returned home at around six-thirty after hanging out with some of her friends, but all the time before that, I had no company except for my troublesome thoughts. So far, I couldn't think of anything I could do to stop Ghirahim and his master's plans. I wanted to return to the other world. I needed Fi if I hoped to defeat either of them, yet, I didn't have Fi, and I didn't have any way to get back to the other world from what I could tell.

Zelda knew something was on my mind. She kept coming to my room to check on me, asking if I was feeling okay, and of course I said that I was fine. She didn't even question why my tongue was intact, nor how I wasn't sustaining any of my previous injuries.

Ghirahim really had been thorough with that fact at least. Couldn't say the same about my school classes and what my timetable was. That was a problem that hadn't been rectified.

Luckily, my supposed (yet apparently unrelated) sister didn't seem to have any idea about my absence from classes. I was glad about that too. It saved me the trouble of making up some sort of believable reason for missing school.

Now I was sitting at my desk in my bedroom. I'd been doodling aimlessly on a piece of scrap paper from a rarely used notebook. I was actually supposed to be writing out useful information regarding my whole problem-if such a word could encompass what I was dealing with-but I hadn't even written down one piece of helpful info. I'd try to write down some stuff tomorrow because right now, I'd only drawn a bunch of random squiggles and shapes with the pen I held.

Zelda hadn't come to check on me for the hundredth time over the half hour she'd been home, so I was kinda glad that I had some time to myself, door closed, no interruptions anymore. Earlier when I'd sought time alone, that had went over great. I'd even gotten to spy on a secret meeting between two villainous individuals that were planning on taking over the worlds. Note the sarcasm, regardless of how undeniably true it was.

My stomach clenched uncomfortably at the thought of what I was up against. It wasn't fair that one seventeen year old kid should have the weight of not one-but two universes on his shoulders. And yet it was how things were playing out. Definitely not in my favor, especially since I had no idea of what to do any more-rather _how _to do what I wanted to do. No, I knew my objective. I just didn't have the means to reach it.

With an exasperated groan, I let the writing utensil fall from my grasp and roll to the ground, making a little 'tap' sound, and I put my head on the desk, resting on folded arms.

I closed my eyes…and blinked them open suddenly a second later.

"Sky child? Why do you look so down?"

I literally jumped from my chair and it fell backwards onto the ground, making a loud scraping sound, then an unwanted thump. My head whipped around and eyes locked on the disturbance.

"Ghirahim. What the heck are you doing here?!" I whispered with as much fury as I could muster. He was in my room. Sitting on the edge of my bed. And he was in my house. How did he get in? Oh, yeah. He teleported. But he was still inside my house and it didn't matter how he got in. Because it was the same house that Zelda was in.

One of the first thoughts that ran through my mind was _'Get him out. She can't get involved in any of this crap.'_ Much to my horror, the first feeling that I felt was one of relief. Relief that I wasn't being forgotten for the next five days until I was taken with them as their-rather Ghirahim's-pet.

"Why does it matter?" He said back, crossing his legs gracefully. "Did you want me to leave?"

"What do you think?" I replied. I deliberately avoided his questions. I didn't know whether I wanted him to leave or not, and it was faintly disturbing that I didn't really mind his presence nearly as much as I used to. But firing sarcastic questions back and forth at each other wouldn't help the matter. So I shook my head. "Whatever. Just…don't get Zelda involved in this."

He cocked his head, silvery white hair that I knew was as smooth as silk draped over his face, covering his left eye and nose more than they were already. "I won't involve her. She's not important anymore. And this Zelda isn't even the spirit maiden, so you have nothing to worry about. If you want, I can make sure that she doesn't find out about…us."

My heart skipped a beat at the last word, and I swallowed uncomfortably. "Just…do whatever you were planning and then we can get straight to the reason you came here," I said irritably, "_Again."_

Ghirahim really did have some weird fixation on me. He kept visiting me, it seemed. And I had already seen him…hmm…about four times within the past 20 hours or so?

"Fine. I will." So he snapped his fingers.

And it was suddenly very silent.

I frowned at the sudden silence, save for my and Ghirahim's quiet breathing.

Then I noticed that my clock wasn't working. It wasn't ticking any more. And come to think about it, I couldn't hear the sound of the heater, or the faint hum of the fridge…or the sound of Zelda heading to my room to see what had caused that loud crash (that was my chair hitting the ground).

My gaze snapped back to Ghirahim. "What was that for? You didn't have to do that stupid thing again!"

He smirked. "You said 'do whatever you were planning', so I did. It's the best way to ensure that we're not interrupted, sky child."

I growled out incoherently for a second and made a 'hmph' sound in the back of my throat. "Fine, fine, I did, so what's you're reason for seeing me anyway?"

He didn't know that I'd seen him talking with his master, so I could safely assume that it wasn't about their conversation. I also didn't plan on telling Ghirahim I'd been there because it didn't seem like it mattered right now.

"Is there something wrong with just wanting to visit?" He replied innocently. I clenched my hands into fists. My patience was wearing thin. I wasn't angry, per se. I was irritated that he wouldn't just cut to the chase. Unless there was no actual reason for coming. That would change things.

"Okay, so what now?" I said after a small pause.

"Hmmm," The demon clasped his hands together in his lap. His red cape was absent from his body, and for the first time, I noticed that he was once again wearing 'normal' attire. Normal for here, in the changed world. The clothes were a pair of tight black jeans and a white tank top. It clung to his skin, form-fitting, accentuating his lean yet still muscular physique. There was an open sweater over top of it, but left unzipped. The sweater was a deep red color and had diamond motifs on the inside. What was with Ghirahim and diamonds anyway? Well, that was probably something nobody would ever know. Basically, this was the third outfit for today.

After a formidable pause, Ghirahim's eyes slid over to mine. I snapped my eyes from his clothing and evenly met his gaze, face tinted lightly pink. I willed the faint blush to go away. There was no point in blushing!

Ghirahim smirked once more, as it was his favored expression to wear, but his voice was sultry and smooth. "Why don't we do something _fun_?"

I shivered lightly and scolded myself immediately later for being so prone to Ghirahim's voice. It got me every time.

"No. I want to know exactly why you're here," I forced myself to say and I saw Ghirahim frown, "Then you're going to leave."

He shook his head. "I rather like it here. I'm not leaving until I've been satisfied." A tongue darted out to drag slowly across his lips and I had to swallow again to get rid of that uneasy _anticipation._ His voice went sultry again, so completely intimate that I had to suppress another shiver-of delight or disgust, it was hard to say, but I grudgingly had to admit that it was the first one. But of course that just helped in adding to my already ashamed mindset. "So what do you say, sky child? Will you be my pet for tonight?"

He moved a hand from his lap and traced randomly over the quilt on the bed.

_His pet._

I didn't say yes.

I didn't know what to say anymore. His presence wasn't bothering me nearly as much as I pretended it did, and I didn't really know why, but I rather enjoyed having someone to spend time with now. Everything was so complicated, I was so stressed with all this hero stuff, I was feeling useless. And Ghirahim was right here, waiting for my answer. So _did I want to do something fun with him? _I didn't have anything to lose from it. Nothing except for the last shreds of my dignity. So what did I have to gain by fraternizing with the enemy? Well, I had to gain…nothing?

Nah, I would gain completion. That feeling of completion that I always felt around him recently. It didn't make a lot of sense, but I didn't care at this point. I needed something to do. I wasn't feeling all that great, and what can I say, the idea of whatever Ghirahim had planned for me didn't repulse me as much as it should have. But was it worth the risk? Or the feeling of complete and utter failure, the feeling that I let everyone down, betrayed Zelda, betrayed _myself?_

I shook my head and Ghirahim raised an eyebrow. But I put up a finger, telling him to wait. I still wanted to think things over because this would be the first time I willingly go to him. But no, it wasn't a betrayal to myself because this time, I knew sort of what I was seeking with Ghirahim. And I was ashamed of it. I was slowly coming to a realization. It wasn't clear or anything, and it had been a gradual thing.

I was coming to the realization that I didn't mind Ghirahim that much, I wasn't afraid of him, I wasn't worried. I was only wondering if this was what I wanted; to be his pet, as he liked to call it. And this was unlike Ghirhaim, too. He usually didn't ask what I thought about whatever he did.

This time was different. He clearly asked if I was okay with it. It was like some sort of test to see what I would choose and if I chose wrong, then I didn't know what might happen. I bent down and picked up the chair, pushing it back to the desk, then I blinked once, twice, still thinking.

Letting out a sigh, I locked eyes with Ghirahim's expectant ones, searching for any real _human_ emotions. And I wasn't disappointed in my search. There was a glimmer of hope…and that ever present sarcastic edge, glazed with lust and still some sadism that probably would never disappear.

That genuine human emotion was what did it. It was enough to tell me that maybe he wasn't a merciless, heartless demon. And if I took into account his behavior over the past little while, then I had to confess that Ghirahim seemed to be trying. He was trying to reach out in some weird messed up way, subconsciously, probably. He was still a bloodthirsty, sadistic bastard, but perhaps not _as _bloodthirsty or sadistic as I thought.

I tried not to smile at the last thought. Ghirahim sure wasn't going soft by any means…but he was still acting oddly _kind_, giving me a choice…_healing me_ after the incident a few weeks ago…

What was wrong with me?! I couldn't seriously be considering such a disgusting thing...could I?! Regrettably, I didn't feel terribly disgusted at the moment and I only felt a pull towards him.

And still, I didn't say yes.

But I'm ashamed that I didn't say no either.

**/**

**A/N: Ooooh, Link's starting to like Ghirahim's company, isn't he? Anyways, just a small note: Next chapter's going to contain very mature content (explicit lemonyness) ;) Well, it was to be expected, ahahaha…**

**And so far, this story is set to have more than 21 chapters (I am finishing up Ch21 currently, and there is still more to write ^.^).**

**Like always, reviews are much appreciated! xD**


	19. Enraptured

**A/N: Hi there! **

**Thank you so much if you reviewed last chapter or if you're following/have favorited this story! Also, this is the longest chapter so far! **

**Sorry for the delay. I've been busy. And guess what?! I went and saw the Zelda Symphony of the Goddess second quest on Saturday, September 7th! Yeah! It was awesome! XD I saw it in Toronto at the Sony Centre. You should look into seeing it one day! zelda-symphony **

**Well, here's the warning: Most of this chapter contains descriptive SEXUAL, MATURE CONTENT so read with your own discretion (Meaning that this chapter contains a really long lemon.). There's also lots of emotional conflict stuffff. Enjoy it 'cause it might be the last really descriptive lemon I write in this story. (They're awkward to write and I don't see another fitting into the story very well afterwards). But if you guys really want another one after, I'll see what I can do.**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Happy reading! xD**

**/**

I wasn't sure what I was doing.

Ghirahim blinked once at me, slowly, purposefully. And I met his gaze steadily. I didn't say anything, but Ghirahim didn't seem to mind my current lack of a response because a strange understanding passed through us. The white haired demon nodded very slightly. He was going to take initiative, and I didn't mind because how could I after not giving a definite answer?

"Sky child, come here." He cooed after a moment of silence.

I bit my lip and then did as I was told. I stood in front of him, feeling not like I was being forced into anything, but rather as though I was making my decision after all, not vocally. I also felt very small. Small and inexperienced, like some little kid.

So when his arms slipped around my waist, I instinctively took a step back, just out of reach, but of course, Ghirahim, being impatient and all, jerked me back roughly. He pushed me down onto the bed and I grunted at the suddenness.

"What are you-?" I started, but then he straddled my hips suggestively and my words got lost in his mouth as our lips connected. "Mmmf!"

At the first opportunity, his tongue slipped into my mouth deftly as I gasped in surprise and he swirled it around the orifice, rubbing against my own tongue. He would nip lightly at my bottom lip before tilting my head slightly to gain more access to my mouth, effectively deepening the kiss. Needless to say, trails of arousal slithered to my groin area and I felt the blood boiling in my veins, making my body tingle pleasantly and delightfully. I felt myself go light headed as the need for air was strung along with the intense kissing that Ghirahim was subjecting me to. I didn't mind the roughness of it, I kind of liked it; him tangling his fingers in my hair, tugging at the tendrils and holding me close, passionate, needy.

Whenever Ghirahim kissed me, I always felt so inexperienced, especially considering that I had never had a relationship with anyone prior (not saying that what Ghirahim and I had a _relationship, _per se). I just had been…busy all the time and stuff like this never really was at the front of my mind. I supposed that might've been considered weird, since I was a teenage guy, and the hormones should've been running rampant, but I never even let these kinds of thoughts cross my mind, seeing that I had important duties as the 'hero'.

Some hero I was, letting Ghirahim kiss me without a fight.

Maybe if Ghirahim hadn't done this to me…hadn't ever touched me like this, ever kissed me, taken my…virginity…maybe then, my hormones would have kicked in naturally because now, I always had this underlying _need_ to be _touched._

By Ghirahim.

If he hadn't introduced me to these feelings, then maybe a simple kiss wouldn't have incited such a reaction from me. A while back when I was on my mission to save Zelda, I had had some faint feelings for her, but I suppressed them because I was not going to let myself get distracted. Maybe if Ghirahim hadn't sent me to the changed world the first time, causing me to meet Zelda's doppelganger, who was incidentally my _sister, _I'd have still liked Zelda even a bit _like that._

And again, if Ghirahim hadn't touched me like that to begin with…

It was doing strange things to my brain and making me feel strange around him.

But it was too late now, I was physically involved with a demon, no matter how seemingly unwillingly. I still was and there was no escaping the fact that he had more access to my body than anyone else, save myself. It wasn't my choice, but there was no going back and my body liked what he did to me, regardless of the complicated situation. It was my mind that was unwilling, not my body, and that's what frightened me; I knew that if I gave myself to Ghirahim, I'd have no problem submitting physically.

And with time, perhaps mentally as well.

However, he was a demon, so I would never do that. I didn't want this and he was my enemy, so it was all wrong. My mind would, and should never want this. And nor should his.

I groaned softly and Ghirahim pulled away just enough to let me gasp for air before he claimed my mouth once more. I was so caught up in what he was doing to my mouth and my muddled thoughts, that I didn't notice one of his wandering hands until it slid up my shirt, making me arch off the bed and gasp.

Then it all snapped into place in my mind and I suddenly froze in shock. What the hell _was_ I doing? I didn't…What? I mean-

I pushed Ghirahim's body back from mine. He raised an eyebrow. "Sky child? Is something wrong?"

Biting my lip again, I looked away and took a few breaths to get my bearings. "Wh-what the heck…are we doing?" I finally asked, feeling my cheeks return to the normal, not flushed, color, but I still felt that needy arousal coursing through me. My body wanted to submit _so badly. _It was almost painful, him being so close to me, but yet just out of reach, theoretically of course.

The demon ran a hand through his hair, letting the strands run like water over his skillful fingers. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I mean, what…what am I doing? I can't-you're…"

"I'm what?"

I shook my head. I didn't know how to say this, but I was starting to not want this anymore. It was too much. I didn't want to feel that self-betrayal, or the disappointment that would come by committing such a sin. Ghirahim was my enemy, so why the heck had I been even considering doing anything like this with him through my consent?! Ugh, I had to stop confusing myself. Ghirahim was the enemy and this kind of stuff was _not_ acceptable. Whatever had got it into my head that it was alright…well, I wasn't going to even go there.

There was no point in fooling myself with this anymore. I had to end this and Ghirahim couldn't keep coming to see me like this anymore, it wasn't right for him or for me. When he was practically molesting me, it was better because I had no choice, however this wasn't good because I _did_ have a choice and I couldn't let myself give in to the enemy like this.

And he was being more personal about it and I didn't know if I liked it. This time, it seemed less about him owning me and more like us being…_lovers_.

The thought made me shiver. That was way too weird to even consider. Ghirahim wasn't soft or caring by any means. Lovers _loved_ each other. Ghirahim and I…what was happening between us was purely physical-or so I liked to think; feelings were pretty much nonexistent…well, they should have been. And I didn't (well, I was pretty sure) love Ghirahim, and Ghirahim didn't love me. Ugh, there were too many exceptions to the way I was thinking.

"Ghirahim," I said seriously, hating how weak I sounded, "Please just don't do this...leave me alone."

He looked confused, but his pride didn't let the expression last for very long. "Why would you say that?"

"Because I can't do this and you can't either." I didn't know why I added that last part, maybe because it was Ghirahim's strangely generous behavior recently. He was in a similar position to me and if we both got caught up in some strange messed up relationship-like thing, nothing would ever right itself. Ghirahim was suffering from this just as much as I and I was realizing this more and more. He was completely obsessed with me and I was starting to not mind, which was not good at all. I was even starting to _almost_ enjoy _mentally_ being with him. That made things all the worse, considering the torture he'd put me through, all the times he'd wronged me, and how he forced me into this. And it was getting to me.

"We're enemies." I plainly stated after thinking carefully some more. What's worse is that I couldn't stop the extra arousal that ran through me at the forbidden act I was committing. It was so wrong, but that's what made it all the better. It was that _delicious_ sin. The thrill of doing something utterly _wrong._

Ghirahim blinked a few times, then gave me a 'duh, isn't that obvious' kind of look. I scowled. "Yes, we are, sky child, but that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy ourselves, and as for _you_, aren't you supposed to be a hormone-driven teen, _hero?_"

"Yeah it does." I insisted stubbornly for the first half of his dialogue. "And I am _not _a 'hormone-driven teen'! Besides, you're the pedophile here, so you shouldn't be talking."

Ouch, that ought to have hurt him. If I had to be honest, the jab sounded more teasing than anything, and I hated the way I sounded. I almost sounded like I was _flirting._ I gagged at thought. No way was I possibly doing that, however inadvertently.

I looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but much to my annoyance, my comment didn't even leave a dent in his confidence. It actually seemed to add to it.

"Sky child, I did tell you my age, didn't I? _I_ distinctively remember the conversation." He replied, smirking, obviously not missing the accidental teasing tone of voice I'd used. He traced my jawline with his index finger, running it down to my chin and over my slightly parted lips. I let a small sigh come from my mouth at the touch.

Then I frowned, ignoring his smug expression and his absent distractions, and remembering what he had said on the first time I'd met him in the changed world. The memory was clear and not foggy like some of my other slowly-recovering ones were.

'_How old are you?' I'd asked._

'_I turned 21 about a month ago. It is young, I suppose, but I was in an enriched program, so I qualified to become a teacher sooner than most people.'_

A sigh-an exasperated one-came from my lips. He'd lied about a lot, but his age hadn't been a lie then. The fact that he was apparently only about 4 years older was jarring.

"What, then how did you serve your master before if you're so _young?"_ I asked, sarcastically, but still expecting an answer. It was a bit hard to think properly when he laughed softly against my lips, the breath tickling me.

"So you did remember. I expected as much from the goddess' chosen. My spirit is older, you probably guessed, since I am not human, but my body," Ghirahim's voice went into a purr that made me feel flustered and blush, "is still as young as ever."

He gave me a mischievous look, before closing the distance and kissing me once more, then I remembered why we were talking in the first place, why I'd pushed him away.

"Ngh," I clamped my mouth closed and pushed at him again, he didn't look amused at the rejection. "Can you just stop it?"

Ghirahim sighed dramatically and I chanced a look in his eyes, which I'd been avoiding. What a mistake that was. His eyes drew me in, they were lusty and greedy, but in a way that made me feel completely enraptured. Not good, considering that my lips were tingling pleasantly and I almost even, dare I say, _wanted _the demon to kiss me again.

I tried to force the thought away.

No way did I want to enjoy myself with this…this _monster._

I frowned at the last thought. It bothered me, and hurt me to think of him that way.

He shook his head and was about to speak, but I beat him to it. "Just leave me alone. I'm not going to be your pet or your slave, and I'm definitely not going to let you do this to me without my complete consent like what happened last time!" My voice rose by a few notes, before I fell silent again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. He was smirking at me. "You never gave me an answer to my earlier question until now, so I assumed that it was up to me. Besides, you're letting your petty human emotions get the better of you."

My frown deepened. _'So what do you say, sky child? Will you be my pet for tonight?' _So what if I hadn't answered it…fine, maybe my refusal to answer had led to this, but about the other things he said? I was right. Emotions weren't-and shouldn't have been a part of this.

"'Petty human emotions', huh. Then what about you?" He looked like he didn't know what I meant. "What about you and your being so _nice_ and _considerate _all of a sudden?"

"I'm nice? Why thank you, _brat." _He sneered in a self-righteous way.

Goddess, this was starting to get on my nerves. "Get the hell off of me. _Now._"

I breathed out exasperatedly and closed my eyes, not wanting to face the music any time in the near future, or ever for that matter.

"No, I'm afraid that it's too late now." I heard him say. I looked at him, opening my eyes again, narrowing them in suspicion. There was a double meaning for what he said. He said it was too late.

Too late for what? For him to 'get the hell off of me'? Why would it be too late for that? But the way he said it, it sounded almost as if he was saying it was too late for something else. It came across as almost _emotional_ and I didn't like the sound of it. As if it was too late to stop being obsessed with me. And I thought feelings were trivial to him, 'Mr. Don't Let Your Petty Human Emotions Get In the Way'. But if he did have feelings like that, then that sort of explained his bipolar-ness and besides, it was better than him wanting to kill me all the time, right?

Still, it disturbed me. "Ghirahim?" I said, not meeting his eyes. "Too late for what?"

His eyes darkened and I tensed at the daggers he was glaring at me. "I'm not going away so easily, sky child. Remember that."

Great, he sidestepped the question and left me with another odd comment. He was really acting different. I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. When he acted like this, it made me feel strange. But…now that I thought about it, Ghirahim wasn't acting as weird as he was when I talked to him at the school earlier today. He seemed more confident and comfortable with being with me and talking with me. More assured.

He must have come to terms with whatever internal conflict he'd been facing earlier. I had a really sure feeling that it was because of me. Because of what happened when he was talking with his master.

He was being more like his old self, yet not, because he was acting like a nicer version of his old self. Something wasn't right and something must have happened between then at the school, and now-maybe it had to do with that meeting with the other man he called his master? That would make sense.

"Sky child, do you want to proceed?" He asked, changing the topic again after I didn't reply to his previous comment.

I raised an eyebrow. He was asking for permission again and it was really bothering me. If I told him it was okay, I'd feel distinctly like I was giving in to my enemy, giving up more like. But if I said no, then…what would happen? He didn't seem in a particularly violent mood right now, however his moods did swing around a lot, so I'd have to be careful.

I opened my mouth to say no, but then no sound came. Why this had to be so darn confusing was way over my head and I didn't like to think that I had a choice at all. I'd almost rather he got on with whatever he wanted and I could just go along like an obedient puppy or else I get hurt again. Something like that. But if Ghirahim was really giving me a choice, then that meant that he shouldn't mind if I said no-and why was I even thinking about this!?

My response should be a simple no. And it shouldn't be so confusing. Not long ago, I'd have said, straight out, 'no, get away from me, you creep' or something like that, but now I was actually considering the alternative. I had changed and I didn't know whether it was for better or for worse.

Again, I opened my mouth to talk, but I only uttered a small cracked sound. Ghirahim was looking at me expectantly and before I knew it, I had said, "Fine. Do whatever you want. I don't care."

I didn't say a straight out yes, but I definitely gave him the affirmative, meaning that my answer was a far cry from no. It was the best I could do without completely snuffing out my pride.

Ghirahim's lips twitched slightly up in a small smile-like expression, but it was replaced with a smug grin after. I ground my teeth together a few times, trying not to feel like a pushover or like I was getting pressured to do something I didn't want when I could have easily said no.

And then before I knew it, his lips were on mine again, easily putting a stop to my gritting my teeth, and also to my thoughts, which were wiped from my mind at the simple contact. I parted my lips _almost_ willingly and let his tongue enter. I almost pushed away, disgusted and shocked to the extreme from my behavior, but I restrained myself. _It is all physical. That's it_. I repeated in my head, trying to convince myself.

Ghirahim's eyes fluttered open since they'd slid shut, and I looked into them. They were still that same dark, blackish brown, little flecks of metallic deep violet and shimmers of silver in their depths. My eyes weren't nearly as intricate as that. They were just a clear, deep, reflective blue.

His eye lashes fluttered gently as he angled his head just enough so that I felt the edges of them brush against my face like little delicate feathers. He closed his eyes again, and I did the same, losing myself in the feeling of his lips, body pressed flush on top of mine. And yet he didn't put too much weight on me that I'd be uncomfortable.

It was Ghirahim doing this.

I had to keep reminding myself to make sure I wasn't completely repulsed. I thought I would get disgusted whenever I thought of the name Ghirahim in this context, but didn't. Instead, I felt a weird mix of emotions; completion, unease, anxiety, compassion, need, fear, guilt, betrayal, shame, embarrassment, humiliation, uselessness, and above all, confusion.

Overall, it didn't feel that great to have all those emotions _at once_, but I focussed on the more desirable emotions, namely completion, compassion, and need. I wasn't sure where they came from, but I tried not to question it.

I also wasn't sure what Ghirahim was feeling at the moment, but judging by his calm and confident demeanor, I presumed that it wasn't anything like what I felt, as he had obviously accepted whatever he was experiencing in the thoughts department. Plus, he was the _demon lord Ghirahim _after all. He wasn't going to let himself be _confused. _Goddess forbid that he actually not be all confident and arrogant all the time.

His mouth continued to firmly and assertively work at mine before he started to grope under my shirt again. His hand ran up my abdomen and I felt him tweak a nipple lightly, then more aggressively as though trying to get some sort of reaction. I made a little humming sound in my throat involuntarily. "G-Ghirahim?"

He pulled his mouth from mine. "Yes, my pet?" He practically purred against my mouth, nibbling at my bottom lip for a moment, then dragging his tongue over the flesh.

"N-nothing. Just…" I paused what I was saying. I was really giving in to the enemy, wasn't I, but still, I couldn't find it in my heart to care that much. _Screw this_, I thought defiantly. _I can do whatever I want. It doesn't change anything._ Being too distracted by his touches to think rationally, I completed what I started to say, stuttering a lot. "Just d…don't stop."

Now I was officially screwed. I was a dead man. It would be too late to ask the goddess for forgiveness. There'd be no atoning for my sins, which had risen in number.

Ghirahim smirked and then dove in once more. Whatever was wrong with me could not be fixed yet. I was still going to have to kill Ghirahim, but in the meantime…what did some meaningless time together ensue? Why did this bother me so much?

_Because it isn't meaningless._ A small voice in the back of my mind whispered. I shoved the voice of reason away roughly, and a bit angrily, not wanting to hear it since it'd only add to my guilt trip. So I ended up swallowing my pride. Stupid physical stuff shouldn't matter unless it's with someone you love, right? And Ghirahim was-and should be-a far cry from any emotion as deep as that.

I let my eyes close slowly until he could just see part of my irises and I gazed at Ghirahim, letting him kiss me deeply and thoroughly. He coaxed my tongue into his mouth, biting lightly on my lips at the same time before sucking at it, drawing it further into his mouth. I sighed quietly into the other's mouth, enjoying the warmth that came with the kiss. Ghirahim's eyes were half-lidded like mine and the visible parts glittered in the light of my room. He tilted my head more so that he could get more access to my mouth and his fingers tangled in my golden hair, tugging at the strands and rubbing them with his fingers.

His mouth pressed fully to mine, barely letting me breathe, and embarrassingly, I was clearly getting a little 'problem' in my lower body that I hated to admit was Ghirahim's doing.

I raised my hands and hesitantly placed them on his shoulders, letting my right hand slip behind his neck. I could him react positively to the action, growling appreciatively in his throat.

I felt his hand slide under my chest again and I gasped breathily at the feeling of him seemingly kneading his ungloved hands into the skin of my upper body. He raked his nails lightly over my sides, sending me shivering delightfully. I never thought anybody would be able to make me feel this good. What scared me deep down was that it was Ghirahim, my _enemy_, who was causing me to feel this way.

I couldn't say no at this point because everything just felt so good and he was only kissing me and feeling my upper body and midriff. Why didn't any of the other times feel this good…?

Again, I could feel the telltale signs of arousal set in once more with every hot kiss he placed on my lips and every time he slid his tongue over mine. This kiss was better than any of the others, it was breathtaking and wonderful and I could barely think clearly.

The blood rushed through my veins hotly and I knew that I shouldn't be feeling this way for my adversary. I knew that it was dangerous to be involved with him from the very start, but I never could have imagined giving myself like this before. Ugh, why did danger come with excitement, that irritating, yet tantalizing thrill?

I didn't know what had happened in between then and now, all I knew was that this was something I was going to regret. Not the feeling of it. Just the pretences and the things leading up to this.

But I couldn't bring myself to care at all. I was so wrapped up in the kiss, the molding of our mouths pressed to perfectly together.

I arched myself up, begging for some other sort of contact as I found myself getting unbearably aroused in my lower half as he continued to kiss me. It was weird to feel this need. This need to have someone, him, touch me. I'd never felt like it so blatantly before and I knew that I had to be blushing as I pressed off the bed to his body, seeking any sort of relief.

Ghirahim growled into my mouth and it made me shiver again. Then he ground his hips down on mine, making me hum contentedly. He did it again, but harder and I actually felt embarrassed when I felt like I might come just from rubbing against his body. But I didn't want it to end yet. This time I had given myself almost willingly, and I was actually, unbelievably, and without a doubt _enjoying _myself.

It only made me feel better knowing it was Ghirahim because I knew that we were in the same boat, rhetorically speaking. We both knew what was happening with the other-even though he had some secrets on his part, meaning, that weird meeting with his master-but still we both were in similar positions, both pawns, like he'd told me. Both pawns in the same game.

And I'll be damned, but it had to also be part of that stupid threat of fate, whatever the heck it was. Undeniably, there was no escaping it.

Ghirahim ground his hips into me again, swaying them against mine and I nearly lost it as I moaned out softly, feeling ashamed at the sounds that I was making. I was deathly glad that Zelda was not aware of what was happening. For once, Ghirahim's uncanny time-stopping ability, thanks to his master sucking up the world's life force or something, was useful.

I groaned again as I met his hips with mine and then I held back a whimper as I felt myself almost come, but I restrained myself, even when he gyrated against me again.

Ghirahim parted his lips from mine. "Nu-uh, not yet my little sky child." He scolded. I made a face at him and he just laughed softly before pecking my lips once more fleetingly. "You're so utterly adorable and cute when you make that face." He commented.

I made the same face again, a bit irritated with his teasing, only yearning for more contact, face still flushed. I could feel my lips, kiss swollen and slightly moist. I ran a tongue over my bottom lip and then blinked a few times to clear my foggy head a bit. Ghirahim was watching me carefully, as though looking for some sort of definite reaction. Not sure what he wanted me to say, so I didn't say anything at all.

He looked a bit frustrated with my lack of response.

"So, how about taking those pants off, shall we?" He said it almost casually, as though it wasn't some intimate thing we were doing, and I was glad that he acted so relaxed about it, because I was a bit panicky about the whole set up.

I had only done sexual things with Ghirahim before, so I wasn't really that experienced, and I only felt slightly relieved in knowing that Ghirahim had already seen me naked, so I wasn't nearly as anxious as I'd normally be at the sight of someone seeing me without clothes off. Not saying that the embarrassment _wasn't_ going to be there.

I exhaled, letting myself cool down a bit, however it was a bit pointless seeing that I still was clearly aroused _down there. _Ghirahim didn't think much of it, though. Probably having expected me to be like this. Yet I still blushed quite obviously as I felt my jeans and boxers slid down to my ankles, then tugged over my sock-clad feet. The socks came off soon afterwards. I sat up slightly as Ghirahim removed my shirt, the sweater I'd been wearing already off and draped off the back of the chair. He made sure to run his fingernails gently over my ribcage and then my nipples as he pulled the garment over my head.

He twirled a strand of my blonde hair between his fingers with one pale hand as he tossed the garments over his shoulder where they landed on the floor. I looked away and attempted to hide my face when I was completely naked. I lay back down and pushed my face into the pillow in shame.

"Why am I always naked first?" I whined…then I realized what I said and my face filled with color. I glared at Ghirahim. "You bastard…" I instead blurted out to cover up my previous comment. Oh, what sexual arousal can to your sanity…

I heard Ghirahim chuckle from above me and a hand came to angle my face away from the pillow.

"Would you rather it be me?" He said teasingly. I sent him a death glare, and so Ghirahim gazed at me in an almost reassuring way-well, if I looked closely enough, it looked almost reassuring. He mostly looked like he was smirking, which he was.

"Don't be shy, sky child." He cooed leaning down to lap a droplet of sweat from my neck. "I've told you before that you have a tempting body, nothing to be ashamed of."

His long tongue ran down my neck to my collar bone where he nipped lightly at the skin. Then he pulled away and I looked up and raised an eyebrow. Of course, Ghirahim smirked wider and then he leaned away, kneeling on the bed, one leg on either side of me.

He arched his back slightly as he pulled his dark red sweater and his white tank top over his head, leaving his upper body devoid of clothing, his body bending close to mine, skin against skin. My eyes traced over the firm, lean muscles on his arms to his defined collar bone subconsciously, taking in the sight of his pale, yet clear skin. You'd think all the fighting we've done would have left marks or scars on his skin, but apparently not.

Same couldn't be said about me. I had scars here and there. Luckily, the chainmail I wore under my knight's uniform helped in blocking out some damage. I couldn't remember where each scar came from, though. I had most of my memory back, but some parts were still fragmented like bits of shattered glass.

My thoughts stopped when I saw Ghirahim run his fingers over the waistband of his dark jeans, teasingly (which made me blush horribly), then sliding the belt through the loops and slipping off his jeans and his underwear. A deep shade of pink tinted my cheeks and I looked away, which was a bit ironic considering that I was naked and had just been gawking at his upper body and kissing him. Not to mention what he'd done to me before.

But this time wasn't like then because Ghirahim had somehow changed and so had I. Who knew I'd be sleeping with a demon with any _ounce_ of consent?

…I shuddered at the thought. Better not think too hard about what the heck I was doing, otherwise I might actually start to freak out or something. Now wasn't exactly the best time to do that. I knew that Ghirahim was, according to me, a bit bipolar, so I didn't want to tempt fate, even knowing that being with the demon in the first place was already pushing it. So better yet to just let whatever happens happen, and then regret it later, if at all.

Right now, I knew what I wanted.

"Link?" I heard my name and blinked a few times when I realized Ghirahim had said it. He hardly ever said my name, and so I automatically looked up out of surprise.

"Hmm?"

"You look so attractive when you blush like that." That only made me blush more. It felt as though Ghirahim was using endearing terms for me more often. He'd already called me 'utterly adorable' and 'cute' within the last five minutes or so. I wasn't exactly sure what to say back.

I felt the flush on my cheeks and at the tips of my ears start to go away, but then came back when Ghirahim reached down to me and ran his hand over my flat stomach. "Uh…thanks…" I said breathily, knowing that I had probably blushed more than a hundred times in the past…however long Ghirahim had been here.

He smirked at my flustered answer and continued his work with me, and I closed my eyes, feeling way more embarrassed than ever. I was a bit horrified at what was happening, too. But I didn't let on. I was horrified that I was letting this happen. Unlike last time, I _had a choice._

And I hoped to the goddesses that I wouldn't be damned forever for doing this. Somehow I found that hard to believe. Eternal damnation. Great.

But whatever. It was too late anyway. I'd already done enough to send me to hell, so why not go all out?

I was filled with doubt, regardless of my 'I don't care' kind of mindset, because behind that, I was unsure and confused at what I felt for Ghirahim, for what was happening, for whether this defeated my morals. I didn't want to do this and forever regret it.

The part of me screaming in protest and wanting to punch Ghirahim in the face would regret it, that's for sure.

"Sky child," I met Ghirahim's eyes while opening my own. Somehow, I had actually gotten caught up in my thoughts enough that I didn't even notice that Ghirahim was still caressing my body all over with delicate touches. "Are you okay?"

I frowned. "A-are _you _okay?" I spluttered, surprised at the genuine concern expressed in his voice. His gaze returned to the conniving, satisfied, yet almost greedy one before at my bewildered look. Since when did Ghirahim ask me if I was okay? Sure he may have indirectly in the past, but I mean, since when did he directly say _'are you okay?'_…It confused me and shocked me beyond belief. Ghirahim was changing definitely.

As for now, though? He was back to himself and he seemed a bit ticked off at my open shock and avoiding his question.

"Me? Why, I'm perfectly fine." He retorted, pinching one of my nipples particularly roughly and making me moan half in pain and half in delight. He obviously didn't like having to answer that question, since I'd clearly seen his concern-if that's what it was-only a few seconds ago. "But I asked you that, pet. You seemed a bit upset."

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm…" I paused. I didn't know if 'fine' was the most appropriate word considering how I really felt. I was more than that. I was physically fine at least. My mind was swarming with thoughts and emotions that refused to clear themselves up. And Ghirahim touching me at the same time was not helping to put things in order. "…okay." Finishing lamely, I closed my eyes again and focussed on the touches rather than my worrisome, doubtful thoughts crowding my brain.

Ghirahim made a little simpering sound, but didn't elaborate on what I said. He put his efforts to my body again, running his hands over my sides, planting wet kisses on my chest and collar bones, nipping at the skin at the crook of my neck.

I would arch my back and let him do this, fisting my hands into the covers on the bed, trying not to feel guilty or regretful in what I was letting Ghirahim do. He didn't seem oblivious to my distracted behavior, though. It reminded me of how I knew when Ghirahim was acting when he was with his master, how I could always seem to tell what he was feeling.

But I let myself get more into his ministrations after a little while when I felt him brush a hand near my groin area, just on the inside of my thigh.

I groaned softly, trying not to make any loud noises. If I didn't let myself get fully engrossed in what he was doing, then maybe I would actually get out of this with some dignity. That'd be nice.

"Mmmf!" I couldn't help myself when he took me in his hand and stroked me sensually. It was driving me mad, the soft touches and the caring caresses. What happened to the rough Ghirahim? Not that I was complaining.

"You like that, don't you, hero?" He murmured, his lips ghosting over my exposed neck, teeth grazing the skin, hot breath moistening it wonderfully. There was a thin sheen of sweat over me and I hated to admit it, but I liked the feeling of his body against mine. It was invigorating in some weird way. I couldn't think of anything else like this.

I mumbled something that could have sounded like an affirmative, but I wasn't really paying attention to his words, too caught up in the sense of touch.

His lips placed butterfly kisses down my chest, slipping a tongue into my naval for a second, before trailing to my groin. In anticipation, I felt my breaths increase slightly, my heart beating a tiny bit faster. A tongue darted out and licked at the tip of my arousal for a moment and I gasped when I felt more heat rush to the area.

Giving me one last smirk, Ghirahim leant down all the way and wrapped his lips around me, eliciting a breathy moan from my lips. His hands ran down my legs once, then back up, then one of them helped with what his mouth was doing to me, while the other one traced random designs up my body and then groping at one flat breast and tweaking the nipple gently, then rougher.

I rolled my shoulders back into the pillow behind my head and curled my toes in at the warm wetness around my arousal and squeezed my eyes shut. I gripped at the blankets, fingers clawing into them, then instinctively, I reached a hand down and placed it on the back of his head, urging him to take more of me, so he complied and sucked deeper, moving his head up and down.

I sometimes felt him tighten his lips around the shaft and each time, I would make a low breathy whine in the back of my throat without meaning to. All thoughts went by the wayside as I was caught up in my physical needs and wants.

"Gh-Ghirahim!" I groaned out at some point, feeling about ready to finish. "Th-that's…perfect…yeah."

He didn't respond, seeing as his mouth was busy, and he dipped his tongue in slightly at the tip, more of that warm wetness engulfing me and making me hot with pleasure. Yet another of many soft moans and breathy gasps escaped my lips and I tensed up, nearing release. This was better than any time before…

"I'm…gonna come if y-you keep th-this up!" I warned the demon, tangling my fingers into his silky hair, saying it in an almost annoyed way.

Not a second later, he pulled away, flicking out his tongue to run up the underside of my length one last time which caused my lips to part for a groan. I glared at him for the last action, irritated at the teasing he insisted on doing, but I couldn't let myself get upset. I wasn't upset and he knew that perfectly well.

I released my hand from his hair. My arousal was throbbing still, but I didn't want to finish so early.

"I still don't know why I'm doing this with you." I said after a moment, panting softly.

Ghirahim smirked. "Me neither, sky child. After all, I am the _enemy, _aren't I?"

I scoffed, my face flushing a faint shade of pink at hearing Ghirahim voice what I'd been freaking out about all this time. "That makes two of us. I don't understand you."

He smiled in an alluring way, and then spoke in a husky voice, eyes half-lidded sensually. I could only see his pupils and part of his dark irises through long, silvery eyelashes. "You don't have to understand me, just enjoy what I do to your body."

I blushed even deeper at his personal, sultry voice, knowing that it was all for me. He was doing this for me, and yet I didn't know why either. How could someone who had wanted to kill Zelda, and had tortured me…how could someone that had done so many bad things, being a demon and all…be so intimate, so completely (and I couldn't even understand where these foreign thoughts came from) and utterly _sexually_ _stimulating?_

The idea alone made me kick myself, but I couldn't take back the thought no matter how much I despised myself for letting it cross my mind.

"…okay…" I replied in a voice that was barely audible. What the hell was I doing? I asked myself for the umpteenth time. This was Ghirahim. _Ghirahim._ And he was easily seducing me, shamelessly. And I was falling into it. It confirmed something that I'd been feeling for a while now, not that I'd ever say it out loud. It was secret.

Ghirahim gave me a lusty smile, slightly mocking, yet also something deeper, and I closed my eyes, letting touch consume me again as Ghirahim ran his hand over my sweaty skin. After a moment, I felt him soon get rougher, more demanding, and I bit my lip as he suddenly shoved his fingers into my mouth, making me almost choke. He used his other hand to scrape fingernails down my midriff and then the inside of my thigh. The sharp sting of his fingernails made me wince momentarily. He thrust his fingers harder past my lips.

My eyes flew open. "G-Ghirahim! Ack!" I choked as he continued to shove two fingers in my mouth. Then I realized that he was getting impatient. After all, I was on the receiving end of all this and he hadn't gotten any gratification at all. I felt vaguely guilty, but then shoved the feeling away, annoyed at myself for the emotion. It was Ghirahim who was initiating this, so he shouldn't have been getting any…_foreplay, _or whatever you want to call it from me, who it the _unwilling participant._ Uh…should have been the unwilling one.

I resigned myself to coating his fingers in my saliva quickly, wanting the intrusive digits out of my mouth since it was really uncomfortable. Ghirahim removed them after a moment, ignoring my initial discomfort, and pulled my legs apart without wasting any more time. Then, not giving me any time to prepare, he shoved his fingers inside me. I groaned out in pain.

"C-can you be a lit-little bit gentl-_OW!-_er?" I grunted, annoyed at his sudden roughness. I supposed I shouldn't have been expecting a gentle Ghirahim for long. Ghirahim hadn't even been able to release any sexual tension this whole time. Not that I was feeling bad for him.

Ghirahim shook his head. "No." was all he said back. I pursed my lips, trying to look stern or whatever, but what was the chance of that when he was shoving his fingers up my…

Bad thoughts, Link.

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the painful, stretching sensation until it got a bit more bearable. After a few moments, Ghirahim retracted his fingers, causing me to breathe out in relief, but that relief was short-lived since I felt him wipe away some of the wetness around my groin area and then further lubricate my entrance.

The feeling started to fade into a less burning one, and more into a light tingling sensation before the digits were removed once more and replaced with the demon's own large member. He teased the entrance a few times, at which I felt myself shiver, before pushing into me without hesitation.

"Ah!" I gasped out as he pressed into me inch by inch. This was…what? The second time doing this with him? The third time?

Either way, it felt like the first, considering that I was still in pain, and he felt much too big to fit. The burning sensation was back, along with the heat that came with flesh against flesh. He pushed in more and I curled my hands into the blankets more insistently, wanting more than anything to be rid of the ripping pain. I hadn't done this with the demon in a while and I hadn't expected to again.

But at least I didn't feel as soiled and disgusting. I wasn't a virgin anymore, so I wasn't exactly feeling as though I was losing as much this time.

"Ngh…Ghirahim…" I grunted out. I cracked an eye open to look at him. Ghirahim had his eyes closed and looked like he was using every ounce of his self-control. Did it really feel that good for him? It certainly felt quite the opposite for me.

His eyes opened half-way to meet the one eye that I had open. He smirked, which annoyed me like always, and raised one thin, pale eyebrow.

"It…ugh…h-hurts." I moaned. It felt like the first time all over again, but somehow, it hurt more, knowing that I had let this happen and hadn't even done anything to stop it.

Ghirahim blinked two times to get his bearings, pushing himself farther inside of my body. I could feel my whole lower half throbbing with my heart beat. "Just give it a minute…sky child." He breathed out, not saying something that was typical to his normal arrogant self.

"B-but…" I started, then didn't bother finishing the sentence. Ghirahim leaned closer to me, pressing his body against mine and pushing my bent legs almost against my chest. Good thing I was still flexible like that.

His body was slightly sticky with sweat and he pressed his lips against the skin at my neck. It helped to alleviate some of the pain in my lower half as it distracted me a bit. He placed wet kisses, sucking and moistening the skin passionately, running his tongue over my collarbone a few times before pulling away. He arched his back almost like a cat, and he dragged his tongue over my collarbone, before biting- yes _biting, _not nipping-the skin. I gasped painfully as his sharp teeth grazed the afflicted skin once more, surely leaving a mark, maybe even drawing some blood.

His eyes met mine and some unknown emotion passed through them and he placed his elbows on the pillow around my head. He flicked out his tongue, skimming it up my ear all the way to the tip, and then back. I shivered, feeling his teeth lightly tug at a red earring. He pulled away when I spoke.

"Okay…" I panted after a little bit of adjusting to the feeling of him inside of me. Ghirahim gave me a sultry look and then pulled out before thrusting back in roughly.

After that, there was no time to regret what I was letting happen to me as he continued to thrust into my body forcefully. He didn't even bother being gentle anymore and he completely went almost animalistic.

It took a few penetrations until he hit that place deep in my body that made me moan out wantonly. "Gh-Ghirahim! Right…th-there."

Ghirahim didn't reply this time, and he instead kept ramming into me, probably rougher than he had ever before. Every time, he would penetrate me so deeply and with so much force that he'd completely be sheathed inside of my body. The feeling was just teetering on the line between pain and pleasure. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his body closer and deeper into mine and his lips met mine for a heated, rushed kiss. It was sloppy, but I didn't mind, since I was wrapped up in the other feelings I was experiencing. Our breaths mingled and the air around us was heated and passionate.

It didn't take long for me to feel that building, hot tightness in my lower stomach before I knew I was nearing release. Ghirahim had driven me to release more times than I would ever want to know. It was embarrassing and…I didn't really know if I liked it. He wasn't supposed to give me such pleasure.

But who was I kidding? I couldn't deny the horrible realization that I completely loved what he did to me. It was an awful truth, but was inescapable.

"Gonna c-come…" I gasped into his lips, feeling him pinch and fondle my nipples, thrust into me, and kiss me all at the same time. It all became too much and soon, pure ecstasy crashed over my body, almost making me black out as I climaxed all over myself. I moaned out loudly as the lewd sensations continued to melt through me.

_Mmm, this feels amazing, _My brain provided hazily.

Somewhere behind my blissful release, I heard Ghirahim groan out breathily in an entirely erotic manner, as he came inside of me, fully inside my sweaty, flushed body. His skin seemed to be glowing in the pleasure and the intense sensations that he surely felt as well. I saw his eyes crack open and lock on me after he finished.

I let my eyes flutter shut and panted unevenly.

Ghirahim's soft breath was close to my ear. "See?" He said softly, "It doesn't hurt to enjoy yourself, hero."

I ignored his calling me 'hero', as it annoyed me immensely since it always had that mocking undertone to it. "I…this doesn't mean anything." I replied.

"I should hope so."

For some reason, I felt a little upset at his remark. "What now?" I said instead.

Ghirahim propped himself up on his elbows, close to my face. His silvery, white hair tickled my cheek. He breathed hotly on my mouth. "You can look forward to next time."

I shivered at his breath on my lips, but scowled. "You wish."

He chuckled and looked away, then pulled out of me. I winced at how suddenly empty I felt, biting my lip. Ghirahim leaned close to me again and placed a fleeting kiss on my lips, trailing his mouth along my jawline, before pulling away. He brushed some of my sweaty hair out of my face. "You really are delicious…if you knew what you looked like, you'd understand how much you tempt me."

I pursed my lips. "Whatever." My guilt was catching up to me at this point, so I didn't even find his comment in the least bit flattering.

Ghirahim frowned and then sat up completely and nimbly climbed off of me. He reached down for his clothes and I watched shamelessly as he pulled on his attire, catching my eyes more than once. He gave a satisfied, egotistical wink at me, making me look away in embarrassment as he slipped on his form-fitting jeans before finishing up with his upper body clothes. He ran a hand through his hair as I sat up. He didn't even look as though he'd just been having sex.

Like always, he had that air of superiority and confidence hanging around him, looking clean and sophisticated all over again. It irritated me to no end.

"Are you just planning on sitting there for the rest of the night, sky child? You really should clean up properly." Ghirahim said after his hair was to his liking. "And you do realize that after I leave, I'm putting the time back to the way it was, and I can't guarantee that your precious Zelda won't come to bid you good night."

"You're so…ugh! I can't stand you." I snapped, having caught my breath. A little unsteadily, I let my feet touch the ground and pushed myself off the bed, not even noting my nudity. What I noticed instead was the sharp pain in my lower body. "Ow!"

I collapsed onto the ground and bed, wincing, my face contorting in pain. "What the hell did you do to me, Ghirahim?!"

I looked over at the demon, who was watching me with an amused expression. "You never told me to stop." He countered. And _damn, _he was right about that. I hated being wrong. I didn't answer him and forced myself to my feet, trying to ignore the sharp pain that assaulted my lower body, mainly my rear end, with every step. Goddess, he was _way_ rougher than last time.

Gritting my teeth, I stumbled over to my clothes ("Ow!") and bent down ("Ouch! Great Nayru...I feel like crap...") to pick them up from the ground. I ignored the smug chuckling that came from Ghirahim, who was watching my every move.

It turned out that picking up the clothes was only half the battle, as _putting them on_ was virtually impossible. I was just trying to put on my pants when I noticed that Ghirahim was still watching me like a hawk. A very amused one at that.

I turned to glare at him. "Are you going to just watch me get dressed?"

Ghirahim sat down on the side of the bed and flipped some hair out of his face in a narcissistic way. "Yes." He replied.

"Oh, then go ahead. Have fun." I countered sarcastically. And so I continued to get dressed-with a vengeance and as fast as I could so that I could get Ghirahim's gaze off of me eventually.

It took me about five more minutes to get dressed under Ghirahim's scrutiny.

"There, done." I stated, turning my gaze back on Ghirahim. He was still sitting in exactly the same way as before. "Now are you going to _get out_ yet?"

He smirked before saying sarcastically that; "Yes, I am, no need to get cheeky about it, you're already bratty enough. Besides, it isn't polite to kick out the one you just slept with. There's a thing called common courtesy, oh, chosen hero."

I glowered at him. "Why thanks."

"But, yes, I do suppose I have to go." Ghirahim cocked his head in that falsely innocent way of his. "I expect we'll meet again soon, sky child. This time was quite satisfying, I must say."

I scoffed and brushed some of my dirty blonde locks out of my face. "You know where to find me." I mumbled back, rolling my eyes. "Now get out before you irritate me any more than you already have."

Ghirahim snickered and smoothed out his already perfect-looking clothes, standing up. "Very well. 'Til next time."

He flashed me a conceited grin, then snapped his fingers and vanished in a plethora of diamonds. The diamonds disappeared a moment later. I stared at the place the demon had been standing only a moment before. Huh. I just ended up sleeping with the demon. Again. Great. This was wonderful.

And this time, I had let it happen.

_And_ I liked it.

I frowned deeply before tearing my eyes away and rolling my shoulders a bit to get rid of the stiffness that had settled there. I swallowed a few times and then carefully and painfully manoeuvered myself over to the bed. The blankets were all mussed up and I tried half-heartedly to fix them, not really caring much. I did it all mechanically, trying to dam in the flood of emotions threatening to fill my brain. After straightening out the bed sheets a tiny bit more, I sat on the edge of said bed and my gaze was drawn to the clock. It read 8:34pm.

I stared at the clock for a little while, feeling downright exhausted until the clock read 8:39pm-which meant that Ghirahim put the time flow back to normal-when I heard a small knock. My eyes darted to the closed door. Zelda. I glanced at the mirror across the room mounted on the wall, examining my current appearance.

My face was slightly flushed still, my hair was a bit messy, and I looked really exhausted. As exhausted as I felt, meaning that I didn't look all that presentable. Zelda would probably ask if I was feeling alright or if I was sick. I couldn't imagine her thinking anything less than innocent.

"Link?" I heard her gentle voice call out.

I cleared my throat as quietly as I could just in case it was scratchy. Did this scenario feel somewhat familiar; having just been with Ghirahim in a sexual situation, and Zelda knocking on the door? Mind you, this wasn't nearly as bad, seeing that I was already dressed and everything, however, I looked like someone who had just had sex, so perhaps it wasn't much better.

"Uh, yeah?" I replied.

"Can I come in? I made you some hot chocolate."

I bit my lip. "…I'm getting dressed. Give me a moment." I lied. "Actually Zel, I was thinking of having a shower, so could you just leave it in the kitchen for me or something?"

Well, part of what I said was true. I was going to have a shower. Or bath. The latter might be better, considering my…lower body pain. I definitely needed to get dressed, though. Ghirahim hadn't _cleaned me up_ like last time, so I could feel some of his…_stuff_ dripping out of me and running down my legs in little warm trickles. My whole groin area was kind of sticky and damp, come to think about it. Just beautiful.

I shivered in revulsion at the thought of that warm wetness on my inner thighs. It wasn't very comfortable, and I could feel the substance sticking to the skin at my crotch. Gross. _Thanks a lot Ghirahim,_ I thought, _I hate your guts, you psychotic bastard._

"Oh, okay." Zelda said back after hearing my response. Thank goddess she wasn't insisting on coming in the room, not that it would have bad consequences or anything like last time would have. "I'll leave your drink in my room instead. It's closer to your room so you won't have to go downstairs. Just don't be too long, you don't want it to get cold."

_Thank you so much, _I thought, _now I can be saved the difficulty of struggling my way down those darn stairs…_

"Thanks, Zelda."

"No problem, sleepyhead." She said, using the nickname that she had given me, the same nickname that the Zelda in the other world called me. "Oh, by the way, are you alright? You sound strange."

A sigh escaped my lips. "Yeah, I'm just tired. That's all. I'm going to have my shower, 'k?"

"Yeah, I'll be in my room with your cocoa." I released a breath when I heard her receding footfalls and then pushed myself from the bed, grimacing once more.

Biting the tip of my tongue a bit in concentration, I let my feet land on the floor none too gracefully, and I proceeded to walk to the door. I half-limped out of my room and to the nearest bathroom, shutting the door behind me and leaning against the wood. Ugh, I didn't feel great now.

My body groaning in protest, I went and turned on the water and ran a hot shower. The moment I stepped under the warm water, I let out an audible sigh of relief. This was so much better. I could feel the water washing away the sweat and other bodily fluids, and it was soothing like anything. After a while of just standing there and letting the water do the work, I grabbed some shower products and washed myself off properly, taking the time to massage my fingers into my hair with the shampoo.

I usually didn't have long showers, but this time was an exception (regardless of hot chocolate becoming not-hot). I really had to clean myself off, both physically and mentally. I almost scalded my skin trying to rid myself of that guilty itch in my body that I knew wasn't going to leave anytime soon. I hated myself more when I found the traces of blood at my...you know. The skin was stinging and I hated that I hadn't even noticed that Ghirahim had been hurting me that whole time. How I couldn't have noticed was beyond me.

After that disturbing realization, I dried myself off with a fluffy blue towel when I finished. I wrapped it around my waist and dumped my clothes in the laundry hamper.

I headed back to my room and grabbed some pajamas to get dressed in, then I draped the towel on the back of my chair and went to get my drink from Zelda. After my shower, my body wasn't feeling as stiff anymore, so I wasn't noticeably wincing with every movement. I knocked lightly on her door.

"Link, you can come in." I heard her call out.

Once I'd stepped in the room, I saw Zelda sprawled out on her bed with a book. She looked up when I came in and gave me a small smile.

"Your drink's over there." She pointed to her desk where there was a mug. Little curls of steam floated from the cup, signifying that it was still of the right temperature. I grabbed the drink, wrapping a hand around it, enjoying the warmth that was emanating off of it.

"Thanks, Zel."

I turned to leave, but she called me back, so I looked over my shoulder to see what she wanted. "Hmm, what is it?"

Zelda sat up and crossed her legs, closing a book, but keeping the page with her other hand. I raised an eyebrow and turned around completely so that I was facing her, leaning slightly against the door frame. I had to refrain from biting my lip nervously since she looked faintly _curious._ I tried not to look uncomfortable. She couldn't know about what Ghirahim and I were doing. Could she?

Goddess, I hoped not. I'd die of the horror of it all. She couldn't _possibly _know…she _can't know._

I reached up to brush some of my still damp hair away from where it had been sticking to my cheeks. "Zel? What's the matter?"

The blonde girl scrutinized me for a few moments before speaking. "I was just noticing that you're acting strange."

"Strange?" I repeated.

"Yeah, you're not acting like yourself." She clarified. I tried to look confused, but I had a vague idea what she meant. I looked tired, worn out, probably a bit dishevelled despite the shower, not to mention how said shower was longer than normal…I guess I was acting oddly nervous and…

I sighed. "What do you mean?"

"You're being really distant and everything…and ever since the tongue thing-"My heart leapt in my chest, but not in a good way, in an uncomfortable and disturbed fashion. I thought that Ghirahim had somehow wiped the memory from their minds. And for some reason, Zelda still knew. I didn't know why she had just broken off like that either.

"The…" I paused and clenched a hand tightly, "tongue thing?"

Zelda blinked a few times in confusion. "No, never mind. That was just a dream I had, nothing important." I took a deep breath. So Ghirahim had implanted fake thoughts into people so that they thought they'd just had some weird dream. Huh. I hated to admit it, but that was clever. I just didn't want to think about the 'tongue thing' for much longer though. The memory wasn't a pleasant one and I was glad that I wasn't traumatized for the rest of my life. That had to say something about strong character. "Uh, so I noticed that you seem really nervous, though."

I frowned. "I'm not nervous." The lie slipped easily past my lips, but I wasn't sure how believable it was.

"Sorry, Link, that's not what I really mean. I can't describe it." She paused. "And you…" Here, she started squinting at my neck. I frowned, not getting it. "You have some marks on your neck...like you've been bitten or bruised..."

I tensed immediately and yanked at the collar of my pajama shirt, trying to hide the three visible marks I'd failed to notice. Damn Ghirahim! "Huh?! Wh-what-I mean, th-that's n-nothing!" I stammered unconvincingly. I'd have to hide those later with some kind of paint or make up…not that I owned any make up. But Zelda might.

"So, uh, is that…um…all?" I continued awkwardly, trying not to sound rude or anything. I just really needed some time alone 'cause I hadn't let myself mull over what had happened with Ghirahim and me yet, and now Zelda was interrogating me about my 'odd' behavior.

I had enough on my plate already, and I needed time to think. Thinking was the only thing that would get myself out of this mess and once the whole issue with Ghirahim was finished, I probably wouldn't get to see my 'sister' from this world.

Heck, I wasn't even supposed to be here, if what Ghirahim had said was right. Plus, her being my sister was weird especially when the Zelda in the other world was flirting with me…and it just felt odd. So the sooner I forgot about this Zelda here-and the sooner she forgot about me-the better. Then maybe I'd be able to find it in my heart to return her affections without thinking it was incest-even though it really wasn't ever in the first place.

What disturbed me was that I never felt anything more than friendship for the goddess incarnate. I hadn't seen her in so long, and I missed her, but it wasn't in any way deeper than that of a good friend. And obviously, the way I felt about this Zelda was all as a sibling.

"Link?"

Zelda's voice snapped me back out of my wandering thoughts and I blinked a few times in confusion, trying to remember what we were talking about. Getting caught up in my thoughts wasn't out of the norm for me, so she couldn't very well say it was odd behavior.

"Huh?" I said dumbly.

She laughed softly. "It doesn't matter, you're probably just tired or something…even though you sleep so much already!"

I forced a grin, but it didn't reach my eyes and I knew that Zelda noticed. It was that darn perceptiveness of hers; reading into my facial expressions and tone of voice, and…gah, it was frustrating that I couldn't just lie and have her accept it without a doubt.

"Yeah, anyway, see you tomorrow, Zel."

She did a small wave with the hand that wasn't keeping the page in her book, and then flipped the novel open again. I left the room and closed the door once I was back in the small hallway, alone. I walked back to my room and sat down on the chair by my desk, not caring that a slightly damp towel was still hanging off its back. I lifted the mug to my lips, drinking the warm beverage and clearing my mind of everything troubling, only letting the sweet drink warm me up and awaken my taste buds. Oh, how I was glad to have a tongue again-

No. I pushed the thought away, knowing it only lead to further complicated matters and went back to enjoying-rather _trying to enjoy-_the drink. I finished the last drops, not bothering to bring the empty cup to the kitchen to be washed, and then mechanically went through the motions of brushing my teeth and washing my face in the bathroom before returning to my room and flicking the lights off.

I immediately collapsed onto the bed, where I proceeded to stuff my face into the pillow. I lay like that for a few moments until I wasn't able to breathe well anymore.

I turned onto my back and stared at the ceiling, finally letting my worrying thoughts flood my brain, instantly tossing everything else to the back of my mind. It was almost like the theoretical dam in my mind had broken and the water had spilled over, drowning everything, while sweeping it all along in its destructive path, or dragging it underneath the surface.

So what just happened?

I frowned slightly and tried futilely to slow the mind-numbing worries.

I'd actually just slept with Ghirahim. That was the first thing that was apparent.

And Zelda thought I was acting weird.

And we can't forget about the strange meeting between Ghirahim and his master in the woods, or how I still need to find Fi.

Things were getting way too confusing for me. More so than earlier-and all because I slept with a demon, the demon who was trying to awaken his master, which would result in world domination, and probably many deaths…so what I didn't get was why I let it happen. Surely I should have said no and tried to kill him…anything was better than what I'd let happen because now I felt absolutely horrible. If Zelda knew what I'd just done, she'd be mortified, so that's why I was relieved that she didn't know. Because I felt even more filthy than before.

Some of my damp hair stuck to the nape of my neck, so I brushed it away and grabbed the pillow, moving into the fetal position. My arms wrapped around the pillow snugly, almost as if looking for comfort, as there was no one to provide it. Zelda would if she knew what was happening, but she wasn't allowed to know, and I didn't want her to feel disappointed in me, like I already was in myself.

But what could I do now? I was already having trouble coping with my emotions and what was happening alone. I vaguely wondered whether Ghirahim was having trouble with this, whatever 'this' constituted.

I was completely at war with any conflicting emotions I had in this complicated situation…again. It was tough, and I didn't know what I would do to rectify the predicament that I currently found myself caught in…so I did the only useful thing I could think of; I decided to sleep on it. Eyes closed, I snuggled up under the blankets and tried to get some rest.

There was no way I could run away from my duty as hero, nor from my feelings, I realized, but I could still, every now and then, escape into my dreams. Because in my dreams, things were never as complicated as they were in my life.

**/**

**A/N: So, that wraps up chapter 19! Hope you all liked it! I know it was bittersweet in a way, but don't worry, it'll brighten up marginally...at the end. Speaking of which, this story is nearing its _denouement_...Kinda...maybe...lol**

**Well anyways, drop a review if you have time! :D**


	20. Revelation

**A/N: Hi there! I have chapter 20 for you! I'm really sorry for the wait, but alas, I've been really busy with school work (due dates just sneak up on you when you least expect it).**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Anyhow, here it is, lots of plot stuff will be revealed! ;D**

**/**

It was Tuesday and I didn't go in to school, partly because I had no real reason to, also because I had this feeling that Ghirahim wouldn't be there. If the flamboyant demon wasn't there, there was little reason for me to be either, unless of course Fi was suddenly there for some baffling reason.

So I told Zelda I felt sick again. I felt kind of bad for lying to her...She instantly got all concerned, but I insisted that I'd be fine by myself and that she should go in as usual and take the bus. She wasn't too thrilled about that, yet what could I say? I had to figure out some stuff. Important stuff that couldn't wait. I needed to come up with a plan. Ghirahim and his master should be at the temple in the woods again today, right? Because they still had four more days (that's counting today) until the transformation is finished.

Basically, I had 4 more days left until I was doomed and the world (_worlds, _in this case) were taken over by Demise. And in the meantime, I was caught in the middle of some weird thing with Ghirahim that was muddling my brain and I could barely think. What I hated was that I was starting to recognize the feeling. And it wasn't good because I almost felt as though I was...falling for him, in both ways.

That was unacceptable and would not work out well if I kept on this path. To distract myself and make sure that I wasn't going to accidentally do anything that I'd regret in the future, I was sitting at the kitchen table in my house, still wearing my pajamas after a fitful sleep, hair mussed up, deep violet shadows painted under my eyes, _planning._ I guessed that Zelda probably let me stay home without a fuss considering that I looked like a zombie this morning, but that had worked to my advantage.

It was now about 7:30am and I had a bowl of cereal in front of me, the spoon halfway between the bowl and my mouth, and I blinked sleepily at the blank piece of paper in front of me. A pencil was held loosely in my other hand, the lead was pressed against the paper, but I didn't show any inclination to move the writing utensil to make a line, let alone write anything.

I frowned at the paper, secretly hoping that some brilliant idea of what to do would suddenly spring into my head, but I knew that was naïve. I stuck the spoon in my mouth and chewed thoughtfully on some of the cereal. Going to that place in the woods was probably my best bet, considering that I had no other leads, but what then? Just run inside and start demanding that Ghirahim stops? No way. If I had Fi, then I could easily do that…or not…because it would be a two against one. So getting rid of them one at a time would be better.

Who to get rid of first, though…that was the question. I got to my feet, the wooden chair scraping loudly along the floor, and then I walked bare footed over to the fridge, pulling it open and taking out a jug of orange juice. I proceeded in opening a cupboard and taking out a glass, filling it with the citrus-y liquid. I left the jug on the table in front of me, kicking the fridge door shut with my foot.

If Ghirahim would only show me to Fi, or perhaps inadvertently bring me to her, then I could get rid of the demon…or at least blackmail him somehow into stopping the resurrection of his master. I didn't really feel like killing anybody, and especially not someone that I knew personally. See, killing was already hard, meaningless killing was better, such as when I had to slaughter countless bokoblins, or other monsters on my previous quest.

But killing things that you knew could_ feel…_was another thing altogether. And Ghirahim was too close to human, so it would be even worse.

I had never had an easy time killing anything before, heck, I hadn't even killed Demise really. I'd just sealed him away.

I took a few sips of my orange juice, then put the glass back on the table and brought the paper closer and started to write some general information;

'4 days left, Friday is last day until Demise is resurrected

'Ghirahim and his master meet in that temple in the woods for the 'resurrection', perhaps the man who is Ghirahim's so called master is another incarnation of Demise?

'Demise's entity is sealed away in the master sword, but is that the Demise that he is going to bring back?

'Fi must be in other world because there was no communication. Need Fi to defeat Demise, and some sort of weapon to defeat Ghirahim.'

I made a face at what I'd written. Not the most helpful, but that was pretty much the extent to my knowledge on the matter.

With a sigh, I downed the rest of the orange juice, muttering a sarcastic and immature 'I give up', and I dumped my dishes in the sink, putting the juice away as well. I trudged back up the stairs to my room.

When I got back to the more and more familiar room (would I ever find myself back in Skyloft?), I got dressed in some jeans and a long sleeved navy blue shirt (with a collar that hid any...bite...marks that Ghirahim gave me), pulling a brush through my tangled hair quickly. I went and brushed my teeth in the bathroom and looked at my reflection in the rectangular mirror that hung over the sink. I looked a bit less like a zombie now, so that was one good thing.

Minutes later, I found myself at the bottom of the stairs near the door, pulling on some sneakers. I opened the door and walked outside. Without a second thought, I rounded to the back, to the woods. It was still pretty early in the morning (for me, because I slept a lot), and the sunlight was a pale white-golden color. It wasn't terribly warm outside, but it was still nice out. I liked the fresh crispness of the air, combined with the forest scent that would envelope you when under that canopy of leaves.

I glanced back at the two story house that Zelda and I lived in before walking into the woods, following the path that I remembered quite clearly now. I had just been here yesterday after all. I stepped over the familiar fallen log, ducked under some low hanging branches, continuing on my way. The dense undergrowth and the thick tree trunks blocked any view of what was ahead of me, but again, I was used to it. For a few moments, I was able to let my mind wander aimlessly, thinking about the way the dappled light played on the leaves of plants, how the soft earth beneath my feet was marked with my shallow footprints…

But as I neared my destination, I started to feel antsy again.

Only moments later, I arrived at the familiar clearing in which that old building was. I couldn't hear anything unusual, so I walked over, albeit cautiously, approaching the large heavy door. It was still ajar, and hadn't moved any.

Only when I reached the door and was about to head inside was when I heard the voices. They were faint, but unmistakable. It was Ghirahim again, and I heard a quieter gruffer voice, too, no doubt his master.

So they had come again.

With quiet, wary steps, I peeked through the door and blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to the dark interior. It was darker than the temple at the Sealed Grounds had been; the one in the other world.

When I could see properly, I made out the tall lean shape of Ghirahim, along with the more muscular physique of his master. They were standing farther back near the inactivated, dust blanketed Gate of Time, which was in front of the stairs that would lead to the pedestal for the master sword. They were talking again, like yesterday, but I couldn't hear them from my vantage point, so I decided to do something risky and try to move closer, while undetected.

Carefully, I edged into the building, trying to take quiet footsteps so as not to alert them of my presence, and I whipped around the door stealthily. I had to move quickly there so as to get out of the sunlight behind me, otherwise Ghirahim and his master might have seen my silhouette at the door.

Now I was just on the other side of said door, sidling along the edges of the room and staying hidden in shadows. I hadn't been seen yet, although I did see Ghirahim's eyes flicker momentarily to my general area in the dark. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly, but I couldn't tell whether in amusement, caution, or irritation since I was still too far away to make out many details.

Gritting my teeth anxiously, I inched closer until I was about 10 feet away from the two, hidden in the inky shadows that crept along the walls and corners of the building. Then I stopped and crouched down so as to sink further into the darkness.

Ghirahim's eyes flickered over to the dark wall that I was near with a curious, then an amused glimmer, and then snapped back to his master a second later.

"Ghirahim? What is it you keep looking at?" His master snapped irritably. Ghirahim bowed his head apologetically.

"Nothing, master." He replied, raising his head and smoothing down a snowy colored hair that was out of place. "I wasn't looking at anything. So what were you saying?"

The red haired man looked satisfied with the answer he was provided. "I was saying that you should increase security at your residence in the Lanayru Province after what happened."

I frowned. 'After what happened'? What happened? And he had a residence there? Was that the one I'd been staying at? The questions came in an endless stream.

I looked back at the demon, who was brushing off some invisible speck of dirt from his deep red cape thing. "And I will. After that..." His voice went sour, "_wretched bird _of the hero's found out that I was keeping him there, I realized this. I have already increased some patrols at its exterior."

'Wretched bird', huh? Well, that explained it all. I had been in the Lanayru Province when Ghirahim had captured me, meaning that Fi was elsewhere at the time. Right?

"Yes, you told me, Ghirahim. But luckily the goddess sword is still intact. If the loftwing could find the hero and now you tell me that some Skyloft knights were found investigating the area…things could go bad quite easily, which is why you must either move the sword to a safer location, or ensure there is better security. We cannot afford to lose the sword."

Another frown passed over my face and I furrowed my brow, thinking over the words. So I had been kept in Ghirahim's Lanayru residence, clearly. But what I didn't quite get was that if I wasn't there any longer, then why was Ghirahim going to increase security? Oddly enough, his master made it sound as though Fi had been there, too, but if so, then why didn't she contact me? We would have been close and within telepathy range or whatever.

Ghirahim was nodding. "Yes, master. Actually, I might move the sword rather than increase security, because those mindless creatures; the bokoblins, and the other worthless minions of mine…they're of no use and can barely follow orders. Besides, the Skyloft knights are undeniably strong enough to quickly overpower them, regardless of their numbers."

"Very well, it's your decision." The man crossed his arms over his chest. "Just make sure that it doesn't fall from our possession. We need it for the ritual on the fifth day, which is this Friday, if I'm not mistaken."

"It is on Friday, and you're right. I was actually thinking that it might be easier if the sword was used tomorrow and following up to the Friday, gradually transferring Demise's twin spirit with yours. It might be easier to adjust if it's done that way." Ghirahim suggested. He put one hand on his slim hip, the other one gesturing mildly.

"Whichever will be the easiest and the most efficient."

Okay…this was more complex than I thought. So Ghirahim was going to bond Demise's spirit to this...incarnation of his master? Would that even work?!

I brushed some of my dirty blonde hair out of my face, although it looked dark and almost black when surrounded with the shadows.

And Ghirahim's eyes flickered back to the general location that I was in again. Obviously, he couldn't see me properly, as his eyes didn't actually land on mine, but that was the third time he'd looked near me.

So he probably knew where I was.

I mentally started to berate myself on how stupid I was to have let myself get noticed.

I looked back at Ghirahim, who had the hint of a smirk on his face, but it was repressed in the presence of his master. His eyes darted back to the flame haired man.

"Ghirahim, what were you looking at again?" He said with an annoyed voice.

The demon shook his head. "No, nothing, master."

His master gave a disbelieving look, but let it drop again, assuming that it was probably some trivial matter. I sighed silently to myself, feeling myself relax a bit. Only a bit. And that was because I knew that Ghirahim knew that I was here, which could be pretty bad. I was only relieved that the demon had kept it to himself and wasn't giving my location away. I didn't want to have to confront his master just yet, especially considering that I had neither a weapon, nor a plan, both of which would be vital for facing such a situation. I hadn't really counted on being found out by anyone at all. Hopefully Ghirahim would continue to keep my being here a secret.

Oddly enough, I wasn't feeling mortified that Ghirahim knew I was here, though. I wasn't exactly pleased either, however I was a glad that it was him who knew as opposed to…Demise, his master. Or whatever his name was. He certainly didn't look like the Demise that I knew.

I was so caught up in my head-like always-that I missed the whole next part of the conversation and pursed my lips in annoyance.

But it didn't seem like I missed any important facts, as I was pretty certain that I heard all the most useful information. It did clear up some stuff, however I still didn't know why Fi hadn't contacted me if we were in the same place. It made no sense. Maybe I could ask Ghirahim about it. The last time he'd looked in my general location, he had this knowing look about him and it made me think that he was planning on talking to me later about this.

What had alerted him about my presence, I didn't know. I'd have to ask him about that too.

"Shall we go and begin today's ritual then, master?" Ghirahim said just then. The man nodded once in confirmation. "Then, after you. I will join you in a moment. There's something I want to check up on."

His master looked at the demon with slight curiosity, but then nodded again and gruffly, and irritably said, "Fine, but don't be long…"

The end of the sentence trailed off threateningly in a way that added voicelessly 'or else.'

I shuddered, somehow inadvertently bringing Ghirahim's gaze back to me. I was currently crouched in the dark shadow that was by the wall, mixed in with a larger shadow cast from the Gate of Time. His master walked away into another area of the temple that I hadn't bothered to check (I had looked around the temple in the other world, but not here), leaving Ghirahim and me alone.

Ghirahim watched stiffly as his master walked away, waiting until he was out of earshot and out of sight, turning around another stone wall. He relaxed when the aura of menace that his master emanated had diminished. The demon's gaze drifted back to my area and he finally let out that smirk he'd been suppressing. I bit my lip, hoping vainly that he would leave me be if I didn't grant him a reaction.

"My, my, my…what have we here?" He mused, sauntering closer. I huddled into the shadow, but if he got any closer, he'd surely see me. "I didn't expect to find you in this place…sky child."

Grrr. I tensed involuntarily. What the heck alerted him of my presence? Last time he hadn't seen me. Yeah, there was one moment when he had first entered the building that I thought he looked in my direction, but I thought that was just a fluke. This time was clearly not.

Ghirahim stopped walking and he crossed his arms casually, expectantly. "There's no use hiding, boy. I know you're there."

As stubborn as ever, I refused to move out of concealment and I didn't humor him with a reply either. Ghirahim didn't seem to mind.

"Come out, come out, my pet!" He continued to coax softly, so as not to let his master know what he was up to. I hated how I got delighted shivers when he used that voice...or even called me that. It seemed to please part of my mind in some way...and made me annoyed in the other more dominate part of my brain.

With a resigned sigh, I got up from my crouched position and I took a step out of the darkness. Ghirahim's smirk grew when he saw me. I set my jaw and tried to look annoyed, when I really couldn't bring myself to be. I couldn't even put on a convincing irritated expression. Why? I didn't quite know. Every time I saw Ghirahim, I wouldn't be able to muster as much irritation as the last time.

"See? That wasn't too bad, was it?"

I frowned, looking around warily before looking back at the demon. "What is it, Ghirahim? What are you doing? And how did you know I was here?"

He just shrugged and then shook his head. "Nothing of importance. The question is what are _you _doing? I had a suspicion that you were here yesterday, too. Your presence is stronger than you might think."

I heaved a sigh. "Fine, so what? I think you and…" I gestured vaguely in the direction that the red haired man went. "_him…_are the ones who are being the most suspicious. Just what do you think you're doing?"

Ghirahim blinked dully at me and began to look annoyed. "That's nothing that you should be worrying about. Little boys like you should stay out of these kinds of matters."

_Little boys?!_

"I am _not _a 'little boy'!" I snapped, then flinched at the slight echo that my raised voice caused. Ghirahim looked a bit on edge as well. Once we had surmised that the coast was clear, I lowered my voice back to the whispering that we'd been doing up to this point. "And anyway, just what are 'these kinds of matters'? I think I deserve an explanation. I mean, where the hell do you have Fi?!"

The demon now looked really irritated and he sighed exasperatedly. "Your little sword spirit is being kept safe for now in a magically protected room." He resigned.

Ah, I thought, so that's why Fi didn't contact me. She _couldn't. _His enchantments probably restricted any communication to me.

Ghirahim glanced over his shoulder as though making sure his master wasn't coming. For once, I related with him on something; his master was really...intimidating and kind of frightening. "Now, I will deal with you later. I have important things to attend to."

He started to head away without waiting for a response, but I wouldn't have that. "Ghirahim!" I whisper-shouted. He didn't acknowledge me. Impulsively, I jogged over to where he was and grabbed hold of his arm roughly. He froze immediately, causing me to run into him. "Agh!"

"Sky child, let go of my arm. I have to see my master and he does not like waiting." His voice was quiet with the hint of urgency, and he didn't turn around to look at me.

"No. I have another question." I insisted. "How the heck is that-" I pointed over to the general location of his so called master, "-guy your master?"

He hesitated only for a moment. "My master is Demise, I'm sure you know. But this is another incarnation of him. His name is Ganondorf, but he has a twin spirit with Demise. He will become Demise, his original form once the rituals are complete. Now will you _let go_ of me?" I looked down, realizing that I was still holding his arm, and my face flushed. I was just about to let go when I was suddenly yanked so that I was facing Ghirahim's front. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I froze and my heart sped up instinctively. I hated how I reacted, but I couldn't do anything about it.

I felt myself blush even deeper. Ghirahim leaned down and whispered in my ear. "We wouldn't want master to see this you, would we?"

I shook my head by an infinitesimally small fraction, unable to think clearly with him now nipping lightly at the tip of my left pointy ear. He dragged his tongue down to the earlobe, where he sucked at the earring gently, before moving his mouth away and ghosting his lips along my jawline.

A shiver ran through me-I instinctively leaned into his lean body, and I tried to keep myself calm, but it didn't work. His lips moved over to my mouth and he kissed my lightly, with barely any pressure. I sighed without meaning to and then opened my eyes when realizing that they had closed sometime when he grabbed me.

"I'll deal with you later, sky child." He said against my lips. "Now be a good boy in the meantime and scurry back to your house before master comes and finds you."

He started to pull away from my lips and not thinking, I leaned forward, trying to close the distance. Ghirahim just chuckled softly in amusement.

"Not now." He said, then he let me go and walked away. I frowned at the empty feeling that filled me. "I said before that you were going to be mine. Well, I think you already are, judging by your reaction. There's no need to rush things."

His voice trailed off as he walked further, not even looking at me as he said the last words.

I was still glued to the spot and I breathed out heavily with my mouth, still trying to process what had just happened.

_I want the goddess' chosen hero to be mine_

Yeah, he had said that. But it didn't mean anything…well, it shouldn't have. I wasn't really _his_, was I? I didn't need him. I didn't want him. Right? Yeah, of course. So then why had I leaned forward to kiss him again?

Feeling disturbed at my actions and just about everything else that had just happened, I pushed the thoughts out of my head so that I could think more rationally about them later when I had some time to cool down and relax a bit

In a daze, I headed back to the large door, footsteps silent on the stones beneath my feet. Little clouds of dust flew up behind me, catching the shafts of light, which illuminated the specks of the powdery substance. Almost mechanically, I slipped outside quietly, walking out into the sunlight, squinting automatically against the brightness. I stuck my hands in my pockets and angled my head down, confused and unsure of my previous actions. A lot had changed between us; that was for sure.

When I was under cover of the trees, I stopped squinting and took my hands from my pockets so as to keep balanced as I stepped over a few fallen branches and thick undergrowth. Still distracted and upset, I didn't notice a particularly large branch. As fate would have it, I ended up tripping over it and tumbling into the thick bushes, just happening to scrape my knee on a particularly large rock that also just happened to be there. What luck. And even more was that the stupid rock managed to cut through my jeans and cut the skin.

Crap, well at least it helped to distract me a bit more. I could feel it stinging and rubbing against the denim of my jeans.

I winced as I continued to make way through the woods, annoyed that with every movement, I ended up aggravating the cut.

Soon, I arrived back at my and Zelda's house. I walked straight to the door and went inside, closing the door behind me and walking upstairs to the bathroom, grimacing with each step. It hurt more than I would have expected from just a 'little' scrape. It was probably deeper than I gave it credit for. I sighed and went into the bathroom so as to clean up the cut. I looked down at my jeans and moved aside some of the torn fabric.

Blood.

And boy did seeing that red liquid stir up a horrible memory. And a rusty, coppery taste filling my mouth, choking me.

I didn't want to think about it.

Setting my jaw resolutely, I tugged the jeans down to my ankles, sat down on the closed toilet seat and yanked my shoes off. Then I proceeded to pull down the jeans off from my feet. Now wearing just my boxers on my bottom half, I bent down, wincing a bit at the numb pain in my lower half that, although still there, was fading quickly, and looked at my right knee. It was practically dripping blood.

Nausea settled in my upper chest and the back of my throat, but I swallowed thickly, trying to keep it down. Ever since the _incident _with Ghirahim…with the tongue thing…ugh…I'd never be able to look at blood the same way. Even this was bringing back the memories of what happened. I wasn't about to go into detail either. It was horrible enough having experienced it. Recounting it was another matter.

Now nobody in the changed world seemed to know that it had happened, thanks to Ghirahim.

Trying again to push away the bad thoughts, I grabbed a wash cloth and I leaned over to the sink, barely reaching it from where I was, and I turned the tap, soaking the cloth in water. I turned the tap off and dripped water from the drenched cloth onto my knee, making a face as the water dripped down my leg and into my socks. I ripped off the socks immediately after this and then I held the cloth against the wound.

What I'd give for a red potion right now…rather than cleaning it up manually like this.

Fully focused on what I was doing, I finished cleaning up the cut, which really was pretty deep, and I bandaged it up. Maybe when Ghirahim came back, I could pester him for a red potion. I couldn't be injured if I was planning on overpowering his master.

After cleaning up the tiled floor (that had some pink stained water on it), I went back to my room, throwing the jeans into the laundry basket. I glanced at the clock in my bedroom.

It was 10:13am. Already. Well, I guessed I had been out for longer than I thought.

I shrugged to myself and grabbed a pair of comfy pajama pants, pulling them on, but staying in my blue shirt. Then I walked downstairs again, heading to the kitchen. I pulled open a cupboard, surveying the contents before grabbing a granola bar and sitting down at the table where I'd been only this morning. I had even left the paper and pencil there. With an unimpressed glance, I crumpled up said paper and tossed it in the garbage bin behind me and unwrapping the granola bar. I took a bite and chewed slowly, thinking (again). I was getting even more worried about everything, mainly about myself. There had to be something wrong with me, considering what I'd done just earlier. I'd tried to kiss Ghirahim of my own free will.

And it scared me. Yeah, last night, I had sorta agreed to doing _that stuff _with him, but I hadn't initiated it. I had never initiated any sort of in the least bit sexual contact like that before now, and I was shocked. I didn't even know why I had leaned forward either. I hadn't been thinking. It was completely instinctively. It wasn't fair that I had to deal with this stuff along with my hero-like duties at the same time. Who knew that I'd have problems like this? The goddesses should have warned me. I'd never been good when it came to emotional stuff, or dealing with things like this-meaning Ghirahim and I, whatever was happening between us-so I was really feeling more unsure of myself than ever.

Ghirahim seemed to sort of know what was happening, but then again, to him it was all about owning me and having me dependent of him so I can be his little play toy or something. For me, I didn't feel like I was giving in to him or anything like that. It was more like I had been coaxed into something I wasn't ready to deal with.

And it wasn't as if I hadn't dealt with some feelings like this. I knew what it felt like to have a crush on someone. I used to like Zelda a bit, but it never felt as deep as this. Whether what I felt for Ghirahim was love or hatred, I was almost afraid to look too much into it. My actions spoke clearly enough. At first, I had been sure of my feelings for him; hatred, some fear, anger…

But now I didn't know what to think any more, since I wasn't really shunning him and jumping at him with the intention to kill. I didn't even want to kill him, which was causing a real issue. I'd have to kill him in the end, or else things could get bad quickly-like they already were. No, now I felt almost relieved when I would see him because I would know that I was not alone in this…as strange as that might sound.

I felt…almost…okay when he was near me.

Okay, fine. I couldn't delude myself any longer and play myself for a fool.

I sort of…almost…just a tiny bit _might _enjoy his presence. I had grown almost _fond _of the demon, and I couldn't let it become more than that, although I feared that it was already too late. If I had leant forward to kiss him (because why else would I have been leaning forward?), it obviously meant that I enjoyed his _physical_ presence more than I should have. Well, when he wasn't trying to kill me, or severely injure me.

But that could only be because he had practically forced his body upon mine…and violated me in one of the worst possible ways. At first, it had been clear molestation. But, and I hated to admit it, last night he hadn't molested me. I had let it happen. And I wasn't even upset right after.

Rape victims just didn't fall for their attackers in any way, physically or mentally. Or they rarely did. Ghirahim hadn't raped me. I wasn't a rape victim. So what did it all mean? That I liked Ghirahim? Dare I say _love?_ No, love didn't just happen. And I'd never love Ghirahim. I wouldn't allow it, and besides, he would never love me back.

And nobody would ever allow it to go further than that because nobody would be able to accept that the goddesses' chosen hero had fallen for his enemy.

I took another bite from the granola bar and ate it before taking another bite. I crinkled the wrapper in my hand to fill the silence with some sort of noise. It was too quiet and I didn't like it. The silence only encouraged me to think and usually my thoughts went in disturbing directions. Especially on matters like this. I ended up crumpling the wrapper in frustration before just tossing the rest of it in the trash, half of the snack left uneaten. I didn't even care that I missed the garbage basket, and stared dully at the table instead.

So that was it. I was falling for Ghirahim?

"Argh!" I practically tore at my hair in exasperation and near-horror at the alarming realization. I was pretty sure I already knew before now-subconsciously, perhaps, but I hadn't been willing to admit it. My pride didn't let me confess something so lowly and pathetic.

And more of my dignity was stripped away.

I clenched and unclenched my hand and ran the other through my hair, eyebrows drawn together in anxiety, trying to come to terms with what I'd just realized.

And did that also mean that I was homosexual? The thought was brushed off easily, meaning that no, I wasn't. I still liked girls…just not as intensely as I seemed (and I was still not completely convinced about this) to like Ghirahim. And if it was that 'thread of fate' that Ghirahim was always going on about…

"Great Nayru…" I sighed. I picked up the mangled granola bar and tossed it in the garbage. Then, I made my way back up to my room, trudging up the stairs slowly, before collapsing on the bed for the umpteenth time since I had been sent into the changed world. I still wished I could get back to the other world, back to my room at the knight's academy…but at least it was something to look forward to. By the time all this mess was sorted out, I would be back and everything would settle down and I could have a peaceful life.

I forced out a short, bitter laugh.

As if the goddesses would ever give me a break, I thought dryly, and as if I could ever be satisfied with a simple life. It didn't help that I'd never been the type to easily 'settle down.'

I closed my eyes, not caring that my knee was pressed into the mattress uncomfortably, probably seeping blood through the bandages, and I somehow fell into a restless sleep.

/

The sound of a door woke me up and I blinked my eyes open sleepily. It was probably Zelda coming back from school.

And yeah, I was a heavy sleeper, but nowadays I was quite the opposite, mainly because I was constantly on edge just in case someone snuck into my room in the middle of the night…not naming anybody in particular…

With a groan, I pushed myself up into a sitting position and my eyes immediately landed on my knee, which was throbbing painfully. I hiked my pants up to my right thigh, over the afflicted area, and surveyed the area carefully, grimacing when I saw some blood crusted around it. Ugh, time to change the bandages.

I grunted softly as I put my feet on the floor of my bedroom, the pressure on my knee was painful. But I tried my best to ignore the sudden stiffness, and I stood up, slightly off balance. I ran a hand over my hair that was mussed up and smoothed out my shirt, rolling up the sleeves a bit as I walked to the bathroom. Once there, I went through the same procedure with my knee and then once I was all cleaned up, I went to go see Zelda and ask about her day.

I found her in the kitchen, seemingly busy with something. There were a bunch of used dishes stacked on top of each other rather precariously, adjacent to a large mixing bowl that the blonde haired girl was stirring something in.

"Hey." I said, sitting down and wincing slightly from my knee and my lower backside area, which still provided me with the occasional stab of pain. She didn't turn around, but still replied.

"Hi Link." She continued her work.

I suppressed a groan when I shuffled a bit on the chair to get a more comfortable position, "How was school?"

"Oh, it was fine. That buffoon, Groose is still being annoying, your friends asked me about you again too…the timetables for a lot of kids have had to change…but besides that, nothing much."

I bit my lip, stifling a laugh as I realized that the timetable thing was undoubtedly Ghirahim's doing. So he still hadn't cleared that problem up yet, had he? I smiled slightly at the thought that had been irritating at the time, and was now just mildly funny…and then I had to mentally rebuke myself since Ghirahim was not funny and I shouldn't have been thinking so _fondly _about it in the first place.

I saw her shrug, and then she grabbed some cookbook that was on the counter behind all the stacked dishes.

"What're you up to?" I asked, Zelda having probably forgotten that I was still here while she was so immersed in her cooking.

"Mmm, I'm making dessert."

"What kind of dessert?"

"Not telling." Zelda continued, shaking her head slightly. Her long hair, tied up in a long pony tail swished softly with the motion of her head. "So what about you? How are you feeling?"

She finally turned around to get a good look at me, wiping her hands off on the apron she was wearing over her school clothes, which consisted of a dark violet skirt with white decorative stitching and a white sweater. The sleeves of her sweater were rolled up to her elbows, similarly to how I had the sleeves of my navy blue shirt.

She blinked a few times, then her eyes grew wide. I frowned.

"What?"

Zelda shook her head and sat down across from me, the baking now put on hold. "You look terrible."

"Thanks." I replied with a laugh. "You too, Zel." I joked.

"Oh, shut up, you! I didn't mean it like that!" She wiped her hands off on the apron again, "No, but really! You don't look well."

I shrugged nonchalantly, making a sound of indifference, "I don't know…I haven't been feeling that great recently."

I wasn't about to go into any of the details, but I could at least be honest about that. Zelda nodded once, then went back to scrutinizing my appearance.

"What?!" I pressed when she kept staring and then got a funny look in her blue eyes.

Zelda laughed, "No, it's nothing. You just look really worn out. Maybe you just need some sleep."

A shake of my head. "I was doing that just before you got back from school."

"So _sleepyhead_, did you eat then?"

I paused and then grinned sheepishly. "Yeah…I had...half a granola bar, cereal and, uh, some orange juice."

The blonde girl made an exasperated noise, muttering something about how I needed to learn how to look after myself. "Anyway," Her voice suddenly went serious and my insides knotted uncomfortably within a second. "Do you have anything else you want to talk about, Link?"

I swallowed dryly. Yeah, there were a lot of things I wanted to talk about. But this wasn't who I was allowed to talk to. So it was all useless. "No."

She looked unconvinced. "You sure? You look like something's bothering you."

I was a bit hesitant to lie to her face again. Should I just have told her what was happening from the beginning? Should I have told her about the other world and her double? Should I have told her about Ghirahim?

At the thought of that bastard demon, a faint blush spread across my cheeks without my consent. I ended up glaring at the table childishly, but still remained as stubborn as ever. "Yeah, there's nothing."

I glared more intensely when I heard how unconvincing I sounded. I'd never been good at lying, which I suppose was a good thing, but I almost wished I was. But now Zelda would never believe what I said and would only go by my reaction and expression. I sighed and my glare lessened quickly.

"Eh…fine, but it's nothing to worry about." I confessed.

I raised my eyes to meet Zelda's and she had a gently expression in her eyes. "It's okay, Link. You can tell me. I've known for a while now. You've been acting strange and I think I know what the matter is."

One eyebrow raised, genuinely puzzled at her response. Known what? I didn't make any inclination to reply, but Zelda didn't mind.

"I think you're in love."

"WHAT!?." I exclaimed in shock. My sister (well, not really sister, but you get the point) bit her lip to keep her face serious. "You've got to be kidding me..."

"Um...did I say something wrong?" Zelda asked, still stifling laughter, but quickly regaining her composure. "I didn't think that my idea was that ridiculous."

I shook my head. "No, it's not. I just...it's a bit too close to the truth." I couldn't believe what I just said, so I tried not to dwell on it. "Dammit..." I added almost inaudibly, starting to glare at the table again, gritting my teeth as the information sunk in. No way could she have actually guessed so close to the mark.

The blonde looked slightly affronted at my answer. I didn't realize that she heard that last word. "Mind your language, Link."

"Sorry." I muttered, meeting her gaze and offering a small smile that I know didn't reach my eyes.

She looked a bit less offended at my apology. "It's okay. But...am I sort of right?"

I sighed. "Ehh…I-maybe..."

She gave me an encouraging look. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else. It just seems to be bothering you, so maybe if you tell me, then it'll help.

I clenched my hands together on my lap and looked down again, but more dejectedly. How did Zelda notice…or even guess something so near the truth? I didn't really think I was in 'love', but something like that was surely happening. And I hated it. I wanted it to stop because everything would just hurt more in the end. This could only end badly-what was happening with me and the demon, considering that one of us would probably have to die in the end.

Or be taken as a pet. And I could never let that happen. Ever. Because that would mean that I hadn't fulfilled my duties and that I had let down everyone that was counting on me.

I didn't know how long I was sitting there without answering Zelda, but it must have been a long pause because I heard her sigh with slight exasperation, followed by the chair scraping against the tiled kitchen floor. In my peripheral vision, I could see her standing up and the sounds of her baking soon filled the silence.

I didn't bother to say anything, and I instead put my arms on the table and rested my head in the cradle that my bent arms created. I breathed out deeply and closed my eyes.

If Zelda had noticed my behavior, she couldn't be wrong. She was practically never wrong, being as perceptive and observant as she was, but that only went to an extent. She would be able to tell how I'm feeling, but the real reasons as to why were too complicated for even her to figure out. They were even confusing to me.

A few moments passed and soon I heard the oven door opening and closing as she put something in to bake. I could hear the sounds of her cleaning up, the clink of dishes, the sound of her wiping the kitchen counter off.

I wasn't just going to not answer. That was rude and I didn't want to be like that to Zelda. I was going to, I decided. She deserved an answer. An honest answer.

But I just needed to get the nerve to say it. I knew the truth at the back of my mind.

With a soft groan, I lifted my head and looked over to where Zelda was stacking dishes in the sink. She glanced over her shoulder briefly at the sound I made, but didn't make eye contact. I knew that my refusal to answer was bothering her. She didn't hide things from me, so why was I hiding stuff from her? This…Ghirahim and I…it wasn't something that I had to hide from her. I obviously wouldn't tell her the name of him, but it wouldn't hurt to tell her whether she was right or not.

I owed her that much. She had been honest this whole time and I hadn't.

I passed a hand through my hair. How crappy that made me feel.

Just then, a stab of pain went through my chest and I was almost tempted to clutch at my shirt and cry out in pain, but I knew that it wasn't physical and was emotional, so tearing at my clothes in agony wouldn't help ease it any.

I had to tell her. She _deserved _to know.

I sighed once, then looked at the blonde girl, who was still turned away from me.

"Zelda…I'm sorry I'm being so distant with you."

She froze and then slowly turned around, meeting my gaze hesitantly, clearly unsure of what to think. She looked apologetic and it hurt me to think that she might say she was sorry. She hadn't done anything wrong. I was the one who was acting weird and hiding things from her. The least I could do was tell her a half-truth rather than nothing at all. She offered me a small smile.

"Oh, Link," She started, "I'm-"

"No, don't apologize." I interrupted her.

She looked a bit taken aback, but just nodded.

"I…about your earlier question…" I ran a hand through my hair for a second time and realized belatedly that I had the same habit as Ghirahim. I stalled, my sentence trailing off.

Zelda wore an expectant expression, waiting for when I continued, but I didn't right away. I was still shocked at the realization myself and by saying it out loud…it might be too much for me. It was almost as if saying it would make it more real. And I didn't want it to be any more real than it was.

There was another small pause and after some silence, Zelda turned away, so out of impulse, I opened my mouth and said it.

"Zel, wait! I'm sorry, I'm just shocked…and confused because it's really complicated. It's not just a normal thing either…" I paused again, knowing how strange I probably sounded, and hating how emotional what I said was at the same time. Zelda met my eyes again, and I was almost tempted to stop and take back what I was going to say, but it had to be said. I couldn't just hide from it. It was too late to hide. The corners of my lips twitched up slightly, yet I wasn't happy about what I was about to admit.

"I think you're right."

**/**

**A/N: Well...what d'you think? Link's finally coming to terms with his twisted feelings! o_O Lolz.**

**Umm...yeah, so anyways please review if you have time to, and I hope you all liked that! :D**

**Stay tuned for chapter 21! :D**


	21. Unconcealed

**A/N: Hey there! Here's chapter 21 **_**pour vous! **_**I apologize so much for the wait, I've just been pretty busy lately. **

**Mild warnings: Angst (more than usual, which is saying something), nausea, mentions of blood, plot stufffff…****(And if you have any questions relating to the plot (since it might be a bit confusing), let me know in a review and I can reply to it next chapter-or you can send me a PM if you have an account on FF ^.^)**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns TLoZ.**

**Hope you like this one! :)**

**/**

Zelda didn't look surprised at the almost sad and regretful way I had spoken the confession. She just looked understanding as always and nodded.

"It's alright, Link. I'm glad you were willing to tell me. I just don't want you to get hurt…"

I smiled softly, albeit a bit strained, but didn't reply since I felt oddly worn out after admitting my feelings. Again, Zelda seemed to understand. She was wise beyond her years, and it only made sense. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who was so accepting and honest and empathetic. But it still didn't lessen my distress.

"You…you don't mind if we chat for a little bit, do you? It seems to be bothering you a lot and I'm worried. You don't seem yourself." She came and sat down at the table, just across from me. I sighed.

"I don't really want to talk about it…" I confessed apologetically. Yeah, it was nice having someone to talk to. Actually putting that into practise and vocalizing your problems to them was another matter in itself, and I was feeling pretty freaked out at knowing that I might actually be in love. And that didn't even cover that the one I loved was my enemy and that I should never under any circumstances, _ever_ love someone like that. It was worse that this was the first time I ever really loved someone like that either. I loved Zelda, and my friends, but not in that way-romantically, that is. The thought was mortifying in all ways.

And Ghirahim had clearly hurt me. Yet somehow I still…loved him. It was weird to think about him and love in the same context.

So I really didn't want to talk about it, regardless of how it might help. Some people would beg to differ, saying that talking about your problems helps, and maybe that was true, but I didn't want to and I didn't care if I suffered alone with this horrible revelation. The only thing that made me feel I should talk about things was that I still felt like I owed Zelda some sort of explanation. "But I'll talk with you…for a bit"

Zelda bit her lip. "Link, you don't have to if you don't want to. I don't want you to get embarrassed-"

"No! That's not it!" I blurted out quickly. "It's just that…um…we've had a…a…disagreement and…yeah."

"Oh, uh…so what happened?" Zelda looked slightly wary, probably because I was acting odd.

"Well, we just got in…an argument, but now we're not fighting…right now. They're just in a certain position that I…l-uh I _can't _like…like that-well, that I _shouldn't_." I stuttered out. I wasn't even sure if what I said made any sense.

Zelda furrowed her brows in thought. "So you and the person that you have feelings for got into an argument, but now that it's over, you can't be with that person? Do you know how she feels about you?"

"He hates my guts." I answered immediately, then I realized that I just said 'he'. I quickly corrected myself. "Um, she hates my guts, I meant to say."

"Link, it's okay if you like a guy."

I almost choked. This was _so incredibly_ awkward. "Uh, okay. I just made a mistake…I meant she."

"Really, it's okay."

"Ugh! Fine. But that's the only de-I mean _guy_ that I…like" I conceded, almost slipping and saying 'demon'. This was too hard to talk about. "And no, he doesn't like me."

Zelda shook her head. "Are you sure about that?"

Why would Ghirahim like me, let alone love me!? The idea was completely ridiculous and implausible. Ghirahim was immune to 'human emotions'. Wasn't he? Well, his ego certainly was. Arrogant bastard.

"…no, I guess not, but it's not going to happen-nothing's going to work out." I insisted.

"But you can't know unless you try, right?" Damn girls and their love obsessions...do they ever give up?

I sighed quietly, but it wasn't directed at Zelda. Anything was okay when it came to Zelda, even awkward talks about love.

"Fine, you're right." I moved some hair away from my eyes where it partly obscured my vision. "I can't try though. He's not…It's_ not going to happen_. It's more complicated than that."

I looked away and stared at the table, hating how the truth in those words was almost tangible. It just wouldn't happen. I never really understood tragic love stories-they were too sappy for me and tended to turn people into piles of mush-but now I was realizing that my life was going down that route. I had fallen for my enemy, and there was no possible way we could ever be together because we were working against each other. It was like one of those romantic tragedies, save for that it was probably-no, scratch that-completely one sided.

Well, there was probably some sort of way to make it work, but it would be just out of reach and would be near impossible. My life was already almost impossible, so why make it any more difficult? Was love really worth it?

I hated how a small part of me said that yes, it would be.

"You know, Link…if you try hard enough, I'm sure it'll work out….but if it really isn't meant to happen, then you'll find someone else and it'll be okay in the end. You never know."

"Thanks." I replied half-heartedly. "Thanks for your help. I hope everything turns out." I added, not meaning the last part, because I knew that it was unlikely. "I don't really want to talk anymore, though."

There was a pause and Zelda blinked once, twice slowly before speaking. "…It's okay, then." I looked up and met her gaze. "But if you want to talk more, I'll always listen and help as much as I can. I just don't want you to hurt yourself over this. You've been really…quiet lately."

I looked away. "Okay, Zel. I'll keep that in mind."

This was to say that I still wasn't planning on telling anymore details about this to anybody, so it was a little white lie. Zelda clearly saw through it, but she didn't argue with me, probably knowing that it was deeper than just…love. It was painful, almost unbearably so-more than I'd like to give it credit for.

After a few moments, she stood up and went to go check on whatever she was baking, peeking into the oven carefully. The aroma of something chocolaty drifted over as the oven door opened, filling the air with a comforting and mouth-watering fragrance. I breathed it in, resisting the urge to salivate over the scent, and instead got to my feet with a short 'See you, Zel,' leaving the room.

I slogged back up the stairs with an overall feeling of guilt, horror and revulsion at myself for being so weak. I couldn't even bring myself to talk to Zelda about it in real detail. I was too prideful to tell her that even though Ghirahim had mutilated my tongue and my hands, I had affections for him.

My pride had already taken a beaten when I realized that what I felt for Ghirahim was deeper than just some little girly crush, I had already been completely disgusted in myself for this and had sunk to such a lowly, disgraceful level, completely tarnishing the title of 'hero.' It sucked almost all the last drops of confidence from my very being, and talking about it anymore would just shatter whatever self-assurance I had left, as it would force me to become even more conscious of my horrible dilemma. I just couldn't do it.

I walked over to my room when I'd reached the top of the stairs and closed the door behind me, flicking on the light switch on my way to my desk. I went over to my window and peeked out, looking dejectedly at the forest that was behind the house. Shadows seemed to reach out from the woods, despite the sun being fairly high in the blue sky. It would set opposite the woods and then the light would shine into my window in the morning at dawn. I stared out gloomily for what could have been an a minute, ten minutes, heck-maybe even a half hour for as much as I cared, until I tore my gaze from the view and went to my book shelf in search for something to numb my restless mind with.

There wasn't much else I could do.

Ghirahim had been pretty merciful-regardless how he claimed to lack that attribute so long ago-at that temple today. He had let me off the hook and told me that he'd deal with me later.

Now was later, right?

And yet he hadn't shown up, probably being too busy for me. I couldn't say that I was upset about it, yet I also couldn't say I was happy either. It was hard especially now, because I knew that I was just going to be dismissing every weirder-than-normal emotion and passing it off as something else to avoid the truth. So I honestly couldn't say whether I was feeling either emotion; relief, or disappointment at his lack of presence. I knew what I was supposed to feel-relieved that he hadn't shown himself yet.

But I didn't feel reassured, or in the least bit, glad. And because of this worrying realization, I couldn't say I was upset either. If I was upset, it would mean that I had resigned myself to knowing that there was a place in my heart that harbored feelings for the demon. But I wasn't ready-and I doubted I ever would be ready-to admit that.

It had been a long journey for me-this time it was more of an emotional, mental journey-and I was finding out a lot of things about myself. Most of them were not that great, especially the new things that I had realized today.

With a sigh, I ran a finger absently over the spines of the books, not paying any attention to their titles at all. It didn't matter anymore. I supposed I couldn't just keep hiding anymore, or avoiding the issues. So distracting myself with a book probably wouldn't help any either.

I got up and started pacing purposelessly back and forth in the room, eyebrows furrowed, biting my lip anxiously, and accidentally drawing blood. I ran my tongue over the affected area near the corner of my mouth, tasting the metallic, thin blood that was mixing with my saliva, and feeling the slightly chapped area that I had bitten harshly, the slightly torn flesh on my lip. It all made me think about Ghirahim.

I made a disgusted sound in my throat and swallowed uncomfortably as the taste of blood filled my mouth and spread over my tongue. I had bitten my lip way too hard.

And it reminded me of another time when my mouth had filled with blood.

I coughed a few times, remembering how I had choked on the substance that filled my mouth, how it had laved over the torn piece of flesh that was my tongue.

It disgusted me how I kept inadvertently bringing back those memories, just to keep me reminded that Ghirahim was the bad guy and he had hurt me and that I _shouldn't-_under any circumstances-feel anything good when it came to him. It was borderline masochistic.

Almost right away, I felt nausea creep up my throat again as the hazy images of the daggers impaled in my hands, blood pooling around the weapons, pain traveling like shock waves through my entire body. And then that horrible sharpness and that faint ripping sound as a cold blade was held against my tongue and grazed harshly over the flesh-

More queasiness followed the unwanted thoughts and I immediately broke into a run to my door, tripping over my feet twice in the process. I ripped the door open with more force than necessary in my panic, and ran to the bathroom before yanking the lid of the toilet up and hunching over the edge. Instantly, bile rose in my throat and I coughed painfully, hacking up the acidic fluids, knowing that there was little for me to vomit since I hadn't eaten much. So it would only hurt more. It scorched up my throat like flames.

The bitter substance stung my lip where I had bitten it, making me squeeze my eyes closed in disgust and pain. I broke into a cold sweat and shivered as another wave of nausea washed over me. I placed my hands on the cold tiled floor in the bathroom, palms sweaty.

And then there were the footsteps, running, hurried.

Zelda's voice came out from behind me, rushing into the room. I hadn't bothered to close the door, so she just raced in, flicking on the lights, light flooding the bathroom. She quickly was at my side, placing a hand on my back near my shoulder blades.

I looked over at her, eyes stinging with tears that I refused to let fall. "Zelda?" I said in a cracked voice.

"Link! What's wrong? Are you okay?!" She started to visibly panic. I was panicking too, but it was all hidden carefully. I wasn't planning on breaking down in front of her.

"I…"I shuddered and got to my feet, feeling shaky and uncoordinated, ignoring the stab of pain in my knee. "I don't feel well."

Zelda let out a shaky laugh, but it was forced. "Clearly." She replied, "But Link, what's happened to you?"

I shook my head and went to the sink, turning the tap and putting my hands under the water before splashing water into my face a bit. "I don't know. Probably since I didn't eat enough." I lied for her benefit.

She seemed at a loss of what to say and I was immediately filled with guilt. I was supposed to be her big brother and I was supposed to be looking after her and taking care of her-regardless of how we weren't really related and I was never supposed to be here…

Ugh, the uncontrollable emotions would never cease, would they?

"Here." She said after a moment, giving me a lilac colored hand towel. I took it gratefully and dried my face, feeling marginally better.

"Thanks."

"You should get some rest and I can get you something to eat that won't make you sick. Okay?"

"Sure, thanks Zel."

And at that moment, I knew that I had to do something about these feelings or else they would continue to kill me from the inside. I had bottled up everything up inside, and sometimes, it was better to just let the chips fall where they may and let go.

Maybe it was about time that Ghirahim finds out. Whether or not he rejects me or hates me for it, that would be the only way it would all stop hurting...because then I'd know for sure how he feels.

/

I was in my room once more. It was Wednesday and Zelda had insisted I stay home, but I would have anyway. I'd taken another trek into the forest again, but I didn't come across Ghirahim or his master, and Ghirahim never came to see me either. When I returned to the house, I spent my time working out like I used to at the academy, minus the sword, and mostly focusing on strength and endurance training.

Zelda had gotten back from school not long ago and saw me practicing.

Let's just say that she sent me inside immediately after, saying that I shouldn't have been forcing myself so hard and that I didn't want to get sick again. She gave me a brownie that she'd made yesterday as though I was a little kid, and packed me off to my room.

It was kind of funny, but I appreciated the gestures. I was tired anyway and my knee was stinging a bit, so I went back inside like she ordered, ate my brownie (with Zelda hovering around, asking if it tasted alright), took a shower, cleaned up my knee and slumped down at my desk. My room was now seeming more like a prison cell rather than a safe haven, since every time I was in my room, I would be trapped with only my thoughts as company, and let me tell you, my thoughts weren't the most friendly. They were more disconcerting than anything.

And usually those thoughts centered on Ghirahim. My life was too complicated and I certainly didn't know how to deal with it either. When I was outside, I was at least able to think a bit better, without feeling weighed down with unwanted emotions.

I got to my feet and went over to the medium-small sized mirror that Zelda had must have put up…or maybe Ghirahim had when he had sent me here…maybe he set up my room for me with the intentions that I'd be staying here forever while he raised his master…

Well, then he really knew what type of interior decorating I liked. Simple, like my room at Skyloft Knight's academy.

I examined my reflection, unsure what to think. I didn't look that bad. I looked tired, as if I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, or like I had some severe case of insomnia. I supposed that was pretty bad, too.

My hair hung around my face loosely, one or two of the longest strands brushing my shoulders, some pieces falling near my eyes, which were a bit glassy looking, almost like little blue crystals, sapphires. But at the moment, my eyes mainly looked tired. Lastly, I looked closely at my skin. It didn't look pasty, or sickly, so that meant that I wasn't really legitimately sick.

I was just distressed and felt worse than I looked. The skin was still the same clear tone, slightly tanned, unblemished, save for a few small scars here and there. But I looked okay. I had some color in my skin, though, probably from the heat from the shower. I was wearing a deep burgundy shirt (the color was almost identical to Ghirahim's cape-like thing, but I refused to acknowledge this) with long sleeves, similar to the navy blue one I wore the day before, along with a pair of normal blue jeans. I still wore my fireshield earrings. They reminded me that the other world did exist when I felt downhearted…which was often.

Overall, I couldn't deny that I did look pretty worn out, though. There were faint shadows under my eyes, which were half lidded as though I was struggling to stay awake.

I frowned and tore my gaze from my reflection, which was just making me feel depressed, and for a brief moment, I considered going to find Ghirahim and demand to know where he was taking Fi, but before the thought could even register, I froze at the sound of a voice.

A familiar, clear voice that almost echoed faintly.

"Master, I apologize for the lack of communication recently."

I remained frozen, standing in the middle of my room, eyes darting around frantically, suddenly feeling awake again. The voice didn't repeat itself and I just stared around in shock, before finally realizing that I was still alone in the room and that the voice was in my head.

And was I ever glad to hear it.

It was _Fi._

"Fi!? Is that you?!" I thought slightly frantically, remembering that if it was her, I wouldn't actually have to speak out loud and would only have to think my responses. For a moment, I was worried that I was just imagining things, but then I was proved wrong-and I was glad for it, too.

"Yes, it is, Master." Her voice rang out clearly in my mind and I resisted the overwhelming urge to jump up and down in jubilation-because that would surely attract Zelda's attention and she would probably think I had gone mad.

"What happened to you!? Where are you?"

"I am currently in the temple in the woods where I lead you before." She answered the second question primarily, and before she could answer the first, I had already asked another question in my haste for some clarity, mixed into my relieved daze.

"How did you get there?" I asked as I sat down at my desk, leaning on the table, eyes flashing with signs of life again.

"The demon lord Ghirahim took me there from his Lanayru residence approximately 4 minutes and 48 seconds ago as of 3:26pm."

I glanced at the clock. 3:30pm. Ah, okay, that made sense, but some other things didn't. Fi just confirmed that she had been in the Lanayru Province, too. And I had been there at the same time for a little bit. Not long, but still. So why hadn't she contacted me then? My mind was buzzing frantically as I tried to get all my questions answered at once.

"Master, I was unable to communicate to you due to an enchantment that the demon lord Ghirahim placed upon the room that I was being kept in. It blocked any communication from myself to anything outside of the room." She answered my thoughts, saying exactly what I'd expected. "However, now that I am outside of the enchantment, I am able to speak to you using the connection that we have."

"Well, that's good."

"Yes."

I paused. There were so many things I needed to know, and if anybody knew them, it was Fi. This was my chance to get some answers. I couldn't miss out on the opportunity. I had missed Fi a lot, too. I only wished I could have talked to her in person rather than just through thoughts.

"Um…Fi?" I asked carefully. "So...uh, what should I do? I mean, I've been stuck here and I have no weapons and…"

I trailed off. "Master, I understand the predicament well." Fi responded. "I suggest that we focus on the demon lord first, then on his master, Demise. The dormant soul of the demon king is being kept inside my blade, but it is being stirred by the presence of the man who is called Ganondorf. He is an incarnation of Demise and I sense that Ghirahim wishes to draw out the soul of Demise from the goddess sword and merge it with the soul from the incarnation. Once the souls have been merged, Demise will reawaken, however now, Ganondorf has not absorbed Demise's soul yet, so there is still time to act. Thus, he has not been brought back to complete power yet."

Okay, that was a lot to process. "How much time do we have now?"

"I have calculated that there is still approximately 24 hours left until Demise's soul has been absorbed as the demon lord accelerated the process of the awakening by bringing the goddess sword to the changed world sooner than expected."

Great Farore! I thought, I hardly had any time left. It was Wednesday. I thought I'd have until Friday!

Guess not. Crap.

"What the heck do I do?!" I thought in dismay, closing my eyes.

Fi paused for a second before answering, "There are few options to choose from at the moment. You are unarmed and there are enchantments around the pedestal that the goddess sword is resting in that prevent me from exiting the sword. I do not currently advise you to retrieve the blade since the spells Ghirahim has placed will alert him of your presence…"

Her voice tapered out into silence and I felt a flash of panic run like white hot fire through my veins, because what if Fi _didn't know what to do either?_

"Master, please do not be alarmed."

I took a breath. "Okay…I'm just kind of…anxious. I have to do something!"

"I have just analyzed the available options and have detected that there is a chance at survival if you decide to retrieve the goddess sword, but with the aid of another weapon."

"Really?!" I exclaimed in relief and desperation.

"…Link? What is it?" Zelda's voice sounded from her room down the hall.

I laughed awkwardly, looking over the door with a nervous grin. "Uh, nothing, Zel, nothing at all!"

"Okay then." She replied suspiciously. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Sure thing."

Oops, I must have said that ("Really?!") out loud…and Zelda was worried enough about me, she didn't have to start thinking I was talking to myself either. Ahahaha...

"Um, I mean, really?" I thought again, a slight pink blush dusted across my cheeks at the earlier slip. "So what can I do?"

"I have reassessed your predicament and have noticed that the demon lord Ghirahim has been behaving oddly. This can be used to your advantage. Ghirahim appears to be doubting himself and his actions are not as confident as before."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too." I replied.

"Therefore, if you are able to use this against him, exploiting his weaknesses, I predict that there is an 87% chance that you will retrieve the goddess sword at this moment in time. If you do this, Ghirahim may let his guard down enough to attain the sword. Another weapon will be used prior if there are complications." She went on.

"Uh...what?" I'd kind of lost track of the conversation, but this was one thing that got to me and couldn't be ignored.

The doubtful knot in my stomach twisted. Somehow, I didn't like the idea of using Ghirahim's emotions against him. It made me feel guilty. But then again, Fi wouldn't know how I felt about it. Maybe before I had gotten all caught up in this mess, I wouldn't feel so bad about even thinking about this plan. I had to admit that it was a good one theoretically, but would it be successful in practice?

"Master, is everything alright?" Fi asked me. "I sense that you are uncertain."

I laughed quietly to myself so that Zelda wouldn't hear me and really think I was crazy, "I dunno. I just don't feel right about this." I thought vaguely.

There was a small pause before Fi responded. "Does this concern any of your own feelings, Master?"

My eyes widened. "No, no, nothing like that!" I quickly backtracked, not wanting Fi to know about my traitorous emotions. Zelda already knew, I didn't need Fi to know, too. Hopefully she wouldn't be fishing around my head... "You know what? I'll do what you say. It's the best chance at stopping Ghirahim."

"I cannot understand human emotion, but I can sense a strong connection between yourself and the demon lord, however I am afraid that there is no other choice at the moment." She continued.

I bit my lip, a sliver of disappointment making my chest constrict almost painfully, visibly tensing in slight anxiety. "W-well, that's okay. I'll do whatever has to be done." I pressed, forcing my conflicting feelings aside. "So what next?"

"I advise you to gain possession of a weapon, for it would be injudicious to confront the demon lord without any means of protection. Once you are in possession of the goddess sword, I suggest that you return to Skyloft to retrieve your equipment before facing the demon king if it is too late. It is advisable that you use any means to stop Ghirahim from continuing with his plans so that you can meet the demon king and seal him away before he is at full power."

I scratched my the back of my head absently. "So…get some weapon, face Ghirahim, get the goddess sword and make sure he's out of the way. Then get my stuff from Skyloft, and go defeat Demise-er, uh Ganondorf...or whoever he happens to be at the time...if he's a threat?"

"Each incarnation is a physical entity of Ganon, however in different forms, he assumes various names. And yes. This is the current plan."

"O-okay. I'll see what I can do." The emotional part of me was screaming that this was underhanded and completely cruel, but the other reasonable side argued that this was the only way that things would be able to end, so once again I found myself going by duty before everything else. I wasn't supposed to let weak feelings like this stop me from doing my job as the hero. Even Ghirahim himself had told me not to let my 'petty human emotions' get in the way, yeah it wasn't in the same context, but I could easily apply it here. He was right and all this time I had been doing everything all wrong and following my feelings. That's why it was even harder now that I had to turn them away.

"What should I do for a weapon, though?" I made myself ask Fi, hoping that she wasn't picking up on the other chaotic thoughts that had lay siege on my mind. "I don't have anything suitable to fight him with…and what if I mess up? Do you think we should come up with a back-up plan?"

"Of course, Master." She replied with something almost like feeling. Yeah, she must have detected my conflicting emotions. Ugh, what a weak person I was. "And do not put yourself down because of how you may feel. You can always talk to me if there is anything bothering you."

A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. "Thank you…"

"Now, for your concerns," She went on. "I have considered these beforehand and already have it planned out for you. The goddess Hylia will be able to separate from the spirit maiden momentarily, and will join with the Zelda here. She will not be powerful enough in this form to help you in battle, however she will be capable of creating a temporary weapon for you to use."

"Zelda?!"

"Yes, the Zelda you call your sister. She is the most suitable vessel for the moment since she is like another incarnation of the spirit maiden. It will not harm her nor the spirit maiden and will only be until you have secured the goddess sword and are in a safe place."

I exhaled heavily. "But she won't get hurt…right?" All at once, my worries about Ghirahim's fate were thrown to the side when Zelda came into the equation. I couldn't let her get too dragged into this. And I hadn't even wanted her to know about this whole mess in the beginning.

"No, she should not get injured and will only come to your aid if you are in fatal danger. This is a very delicate and risky situation as it is."

Delicate…what an understatement…more like...no, there wasn't even a word that I could use to describe it.

"I shall contact the now dormant spirit of Hylia if that is alright with you."

I nodded, mostly to myself as a way of comfort and assurance that I was doing the right thing, "Go ahead. I'll just be here."

"I will only take a moment." Fi replied.

And then her presence vanished from my mind, leaving me feeling as though something was missing and was replaced with something twice as heavy when my emotions got free reign of my head. It wasn't a great feeling. In fact, I felt less inclined to do anything now than ever, knowing that I'd have undoubtedly have to play around with Ghirahim's emotions (which were seeming kinda_ off…_like me) when I was already fighting my own feelings. It seemed unethical to manipulate someone like that. Already, I had a good idea of the kinds of things I'd have to say to bother him…

Whenever I asked him if he was okay, he'd always get really bothered and distant, refuse to disclose any information, and change the subject as quickly as possible. It wouldn't be that hard to rile him up like that, and I just knew that when I pressed the right buttons, he'd snap and most likely start attacking before thinking. That would surely give me an easier fight that wasn't playing out into his hands because instead, I'd be the one in charge, with him being too blinded with whatever was bothering him. It was almost too easy.

But it wasn't easy put into practice. I couldn't guarantee that I would be able to think clearly either. I didn't think that Fi knew what I was really feeling either. She didn't know about the horrible realization I'd come to earlier and I really wasn't planning on telling her either. It wouldn't be easy to explain. I couldn't even explain it to myself either and I'd feel guilty for my emotions, which was ridiculous in itself.

"Master, I have returned." A melodious voice spoke.

I blinked. "Oh, back already, Fi?" I said, feeling tired.

"Yes, and I have informed the goddess Hylia about the current situation. She has agreed that this is a very dangerous mission that she must aid us. I am aware that you were not planning on speaking of this to the spirit maiden, however as the goddess' spirit is partly dormant, there was no way to warn her grace of the forthcoming events without Zelda's knowledge." Fi replied, and I groaned out in frustration. So now Zelda knew about all of this. Oh goddess, how was I supposed to explain my actions now? Thinking back, everything I'd done without her knowledge sounded rather foolish and unplanned. "Yet, a positive outcome is that her grace will be momentarily parting in consciousness with Zelda and will join with the Zelda who inhabits this world. This will create a temporary bond and she will create a weapon for you to use and will act as back-up if you are in mortal peril."

I bit my lip, unhappy with the fact that Zelda now knew about what was going on…I hadn't wanted her to know…

"I apologize for this issue, Master, but I am sure she will understand." Fi responded to my thoughts.

"Yeah, it's okay." I thought back. "So...Hylia's going to part with Zelda and take possession of the Zelda here, then?"

"I would not refer to it as possession, rather as a temporary merging of consciousness."

"Ah..."

I frowned, possession, merging of consciousness, same thing to me...well, not really, but I didn't really care at the moment. What bothered me was that Zelda would know what was going on. It bothered me a lot because I had never intended for her to know of my stupid mistakes. I didn't feel like I was even _allowed_ to make mistakes anymore.

Sigh, but at least she didn't know what was going on with me and-

I stopped my thoughts half way, hoping that Fi wouldn't know the completion of my train of thought, but then again, she probably already knew…or at least suspected something. Hopefully Zelda wouldn't find out about that...thing. Whatever it was called. Fi on the other hand...that was a different story. With that telepathy trick, it could very well be like mind reading. I was pretty sure that Fi wouldn't understand any emotional things, though. She had told me before how those human feelings were difficult for her to comprehend.

So, maybe I could talk to her about it…she wouldn't tell anyone and likely wouldn't judge the way that another peer would. It had to be in the contract of being the master and her being the sword spirit-that she would obey me, right? And help me when I asked for assistance or advice.

"Um, Fi?" I thought hesitantly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, you may ask me anything." She immediately said.

I breathed out heavily and then brushed some of my long bangs out of my face. "What d'you think is wrong with Ghirahim?"

There was a pause. "What do you wish to know?"

"Well…why's he acting so weird?" I pressed, hoping that I didn't sound too interested.

"I sense that his behavior is connected with yourself." She replied. My heard sunk and I suddenly felt rather sick in an almost guilty way. "His attention seems to be obsessively fixated on you from what I have analysed. He appears to be conflicted with something concerning you, however I cannot decipher what the possible reason could be."

I didn't reply right away. If my suspicions were right this time around, then Ghirahim was getting too much into our twisted relationship, although maybe not to the extent that I had. Hopefully not that far. With love, or infatuation-since I couldn't imagine Ghirahim even saying, let alone thinking about love-there came a certain possessiveness. Ghirhaim was already possessive, think of how he'd be if he actually have feelings for me.

But maybe this possessiveness could...I dunno...change into something more.

Geez, I was like some lovesick teenager. If I hadn't admitted to feeling the way I do, them maybe I wouldn't have to face the music-and maybe I wouldn't be so overwhelmed.

"Master, is there anything else you wish to know?" Fi spoke up after my silence.

"No, I'll be fine." Maybe.

There was a knock on the door just then, startling me. My eyes flashed over and I called out a quick, 'You can come in' as Zelda opened the door.

I raised an eyebrow. "Hey, what's up?"

She bowed her head, hair falling alongside her face almost like a curtain of gold. Her hands folded together. "I...I know what's going on, Link. Um...Hylia has informed me…"

I nodded, trying not to be too shocked. Weird things were part of my everyday life, so I often tried to keep my expression neutral. Not that it worked half the time.

It was just a bit, I don't know, _sudden_, her coming into my room and proclaiming that she was now part goddess or something like that. I mean, how would you react to that? Was my life destined to be weird?

So, I just kept down my surprise and slight disturbance at the way Zelda stayed so calm and serene while talking to me when she just got someone else 'merge consciousness' with her or whatever it was...holy Naryu.

Either way, she didn't mind my lack of response. "The goddess Hylia will also help me to make you a temporary weapon and shield for which to use. I know this is very sudden, Link and I know that you must be very confused right now, but everything should be fine.

"The weapon that I'm going to make...It will not be useful in defeating the demon king, but you can use it against Ghirahim before you get Fi back. Any other weapons not blessed by the goddess, or created by goddess cannot harm him very much."

Again, I nodded, not sure what to say. Zelda adjusted some of her long blonde hair so that it framed her face more neatly. When she spoke next, I felt myself relax a bit at the more Zelda-ish voice used, less proper and formal. "Look, Link…I just want you to be okay."

"I will be." I replied softly, meeting her crystal blue eyes understandingly. "You don't have to be worried about me."

"But I still am!" She insisted. She immediately wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. I tensed at first, surprised at the sudden action, but then returned the hug. I sighed quietly into her hair which was obscuring some of my vision. I suddenly felt ten years older as though I was comforting some young child and I was the grown up. But I wasn't.

I was just a 17 year old kid that was trying to end something that shouldn't have ever been my responsibility. "Zel, it's okay…it's okay…"

She mumbled something that I couldn't hear and I rubbed her back soothingly, not asking her to repeat herself since it just sounded like gibberish. "I-I don't want to do this either, but it's going to go fine. I've already done stuff like this before." But not when you're emotionally attached to one of your opponents, "And so there's nothing to worry about. I'm used to this."

The blonde haired girl pulled away a bit and looked at me sadly, not having to angle her head up or anything. We were pretty much the same height. "I know, but this is different…I can't even help you properly and I'm suddenly finding out that there's a whole other world just beyond my reach. It's overwhelming. And you-you're going to be in danger, and I'm just going to have to stay on the sidelines as you risk your life to save a world that you don't even belong to!"

The corner of my mouth twitched down. "It is my world, too. And besides, I could never let you all die from Demise." I bit the inside of my cheek, "Either way, if Demise is reawakened, the other world will be in danger as well. I have to do this. And Ghirahim always poses a problem. There's no way around it, Zel. And you're not useless." I added the end part quickly. "If you weren't here, then Hylia's spirit wouldn't be able to travel here and help make a weapon for me to use. So you're anything _but _useless."

"Fine, fine. You're right." She conceded, shaking her head then pulling me into another hug. "Just be careful and don't get hurt."

I sighed at the last words she spoke. It was inevitable that I was going to get hurt and I was almost annoyed at Zelda for even thinking that I could get out of this unharmed in any way. I would probably end up with scrapes, cuts, bruises. Maybe even worse. I was more afraid that _I_ would get hurt because I am not able to hurt _Ghirahim_.

That would be something to get over. I'd really have to put my emotions on the back burner so that I can focus on what's best for everyone else and not myself. If it were up to me, I would rather not fight Ghirahim at all. But that was selfish and I knew that Ghirahim had to be out of the way if this was ever going to end. Hopefully I could defeat Ghirahim before he fully brings back Demise through Ganondorf.

And yet there was still that part of me that insisted that there was a way to get out of this without any fatalities. It was a bit irrational, but I couldn't stop that wishful thinking.

I lightly pushed Zelda away. Her hands let go of my shirt which they were tightly clinging to. I straightened out the burgundy colored fabric. There were faint marks just below my collar bone from Ghirahim still, but luckily, my shirt hid them well enough, so they were barely visible, if not completely unnoticeable. I was glad that Zelda hadn't noticed. That would just make things awkward…more than it already was.

I held the girl at arm's length, a hand on each shoulder. "Okay…Zel, I think I should go soon." I said softly.

She nodded once reluctantly. "Yeah, I know." She met my eyes more confidently. "I suppose it's time that I create a weapon for you then…"

With that, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, fingers intertwining gently. I bit my lip, not sure what to do now. She seemed to be concentrating.

"Master," I heard Fi's voice chime from my head. "Zelda is now calling upon Hylia's spirit to help her create a sword. It may take a few moments since their souls are not bonded like the spirit maiden's and Hylia's. The spirit maiden is a direct incarnate, but this Zelda is not."

Zelda trembled slightly and then brought her hands in front of her, palms up. Then the air seemed to contract in some weird way that made me feel light headed, and a flash of golden-silver light flared near the blonde girl's hands. I brought a hand to my face, covering my eyes for a moment. I peeked through my fingers hesitantly to see if the light had subsided.

It slowly died down, and the air returned to its normal feel.

And there, lying across Zelda's hands was a simple, yet beautiful sword. It was similar to the master sword, yet I could immediately sense that it did not carry that same…living quality that the goddess sword possessed. This was probably because of Fi.

This sword didn't have a spirit. It glowed for a few moments and then went duller and became a more normal color. Zelda staggered under the weight of the weapon in her outstretched arms and yelped softly as she almost impaled herself with it.

"Zel!" I lunged forward and grabbed the weapon, pulling it away from her body and moving her out of harm's way. She gasped at the close encounter and held onto me for support. "Don't scare me like that…"

She shook her head. "S-sorry about that. It was just heavier than I thought it would be."

I dismissed it. "Nah, it's okay. Just be more careful next time." As if there would be a next time. I really hoped otherwise. Zelda weakly smiled, and that was when I noticed the pallid tone of her skin. It must have drained her energy to make that sword…which instantly made me realize that she probably wouldn't have enough energy for making a shield.

I held the weapon in my right hand, using my left to place on her shoulder to help her balance. "Thank you." She replied sheepishly.

"No, I should be thanking you." I said back. "I-I can't believe you made this."

My eyes were drawn back to the blade. The hilt was the same as the master sword, but with less adornment. It was not a violet-purple color and was instead a dark blue and gray-the blade itself wasn't as sharp looking as with the master sword, nor was the shape as flawless. Regardless, it was still beautiful and would work just fine.

I weighted it easily in my hands. It was slightly heavier too, but I could adjust.

"Master," Fi's voice came into my head. "I suggest that you prepare for your reclaiming the goddess sword now. There is little time left." She intoned.

"Yeah…" I thought back. The corner of my lip twitched down by a fraction and I set my jaw. It was time to go and I knew that there couldn't be any ifs ands or buts even if I was a bit freaked out. Briefly, I thought about some sort of bodily protection, but then I realized belatedly that I didn't have any chainmail or even gauntlets. Great. "I'll go in a minute."

"Link? Are you alright?"

I looked up at Zelda. "Yeah." I replied.

Her brows were drawn together. "I'm worried about you. Just be careful, okay?"

"Of course I will be."

"Please come back. Everyone's counting on you." She added.

I internally groaned. What she just said had been nagging constantly at my brain and having her remind me was less than pleasant. The last thing I wanted was to let everyone down. I had already (in the part with Ghirahim, but nobody had to know about that), and so I just couldn't fail in this. I had to get the master sword, then defeat Ghirahim and then somehow get rid of Demise…

Zelda jostled me out of my thoughts. "And don't do anything stupid or reckless!"

My pessimistic train of thought was stopped in its tracks and I actually cracked a smile. "Of course I won't!"

"You sure about that?" She joked.

"What?! Are you implying that I usually do-?"

Zelda laughed and hugged me. "Just kidding." I blinked, then gave her an awkward one armed hug, the sword still held in my other hand. Her giggles subsided into a silence which became all too serious all too quickly.

After a moment, she let her arms fall to her sides, taking a step back. Her eyed didn't meet mine. Zelda's eyes were downcast and I raised an eyebrow sympathetically. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head. "Nothing…" Then she hesitated before continuing anyway. "Well, it's not nothing…"

I only tilted my head to the side by a fraction, curious.

She bit her lip then met my eyes. "I know this isn't important really, but when this is all over...if you…if you don't feel comfortable being with me…in that way…in the other world after this," She swallowed. "Then it's okay. I know that there's someone else and I hope that you and him can be together."

My eyes bugged out. _What!?_

_That's _what she was thinking about this whole time!?

I'd never have guessed. _What. The. Hell. _I bit my lip hard, almost drawing blood, to refrain from blurting out my incredulity. I hated the tense silence that followed, so I broke it, still unsure of what to say anymore. This was all becoming too much for me to bear. And now I had to deal with a heartbroken girl…one who I had hurt emotionally-without even knowing it.

"Uh…Zel?" I said timidly.

She shuffled her feet to show that she had heard me. That was probably the best response I was going to get at the moment.

"I never…I mean-I didn't know that you wanted to be with m-me…in that way." I started lamely. Zelda didn't reply, so I continued to fumble none too gracefully over my words. "B-but-I can try…I think…if this all turns out…I know that me and him won't happen. But in the other world...the 'you' there..."

Still, no answer.

Goddess, this was too hard for me. I'd never had a way with words in the first place, not having been one to talk much, so this was just too much. "I do love you, Zel. And it can still work out…someway-"

"Link, you can't. I'm fine." Zelda interrupted me. Her blue eyes met mine finally. They weren't broken or shattered as I had feared. She actually looked almost guilty. I frowned. She had nothing to be guilty about. I was the most tainted person in this room and she felt guilty…if anyone should be feeling like that, it should be me.

"B-but why not?" I stuttered.

"Because you already have someone. And because I'm supposed to be...like an...adopted sister to you here, so it would be too weird in the first place." She rephrased, answering simply. It took me a second to process what she said. Then my heart clenched painfully in my chest and I had the urge to go on a crying jag in my room. But that was bizarre. I wasn't going to act like some little kid having a temper tantrum. I was older and more mature than that and this wasn't worth it. Ghirahim wasn't worth it.

Yet, much to my irritation and disdain, the part of my brain that constantly made me doubt myself, chose the moment to argue and insist otherwise.

"I…it's not like that."

She blinked and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I sighed and looked away. Too complicated to explain. Much too complicated. I'd already told her before that it wouldn't work out.

And if I told her who it was, she'd be horrified and hate me forever…or something like that. Nobody would ever accept my sick and twisted _love_-if it could be called that-for someone like Ghirahim. It would be scar them all to find out that their only chance to save them was in love with their enemy. I even hated to hear the 'L' word run through my mind. It made me visibly wince every time I used it in such context.

The only thing I hoped right now was that Fi wasn't snooping around in my brain. I wasn't sure to what extent her telepathic abilities went. Regardless, it seemed a bit one sided. She could see my thoughts better than I could see hers. In fact, I couldn't see hers at all. If she could read my mind, then potentially she would be able to see all my thoughts about Ghirahim.

I only hoped that this was untrue.

"It won't end well." I finally replied to Zelda. She tore her gaze from mine.

"I want you to be happy-as a friend or as a brother, even if I now know that we were never really blood related…so just give it another chance no matter what. I know it's been bothering you for a while. It can still happen. I'm sure that it will."

My temper flared quite unexpectedly and I tensed. This was stressing myself out way too much, I realized. I didn't want to lash out at the girl for trying to help me. And the anxiety revolving around the whole ordeal I'd surely be forced into within the hour, was not helping one bit.

"Zelda. I don't want to talk about this." I said quietly. "It's nothing to be worrying about."

"But-"

"No, I don't want to talk anymore-"I interrupted her, then myself. "Actually, I think it's about time I go."

I felt a stab of regret inside of me, but I pushed it out of the way, feeling too upset for any rational thinking, or any of Zelda's consolation.

"I'm really sorry, but he won't feel the same way back." I knelt down for a second, muttering 'Thank you for granting me this sword, your grace' to be polite to the goddess' spirit, and hugged Zelda briefly-not even giving her a moment to return the embrace, before turning and heading down the stairs. I didn't bother looking back until I heard her calling me. I stopped on the last step and looked up at Zelda, who was at the top of the steps, one hand on the wooden banister.

"Link! Wait. I don't want you to be upset. I didn't mean to bring up…that." Her eyebrows were drawn together in concern.

"It's okay." I said automatically.

"But Link, just don't give up. I just want you to be happy…I feel that you can make it work."

It took me a moment to realize that she was still on _that _topic. My patience was running thin, though.

"Look, Zel. I know you want to help, and I really appreciate that. You're the best sister, friend…that I've ever had and I want you to know that. But this is beyond our control and it's more than just a _crush._" I replied exasperatedly, yet also not wanting to hurt her feelings. "It's way deeper than that and it hurts a lot. But I just know already that no matter what, me and him-it just won't and _can't _happen. I shouldn't even feel this way about him-it's bad. He's not a good person and isn't on our side either. If you knew who it was, you'd understand better."

I wish I had imagined the look of shock that passed over her face about three seconds after my thoughtless rambling. For all I knew, she could have pieced together the evidence and realized who I'd fallen for. But it was too late to back track. Maybe it was better if she knew. "And now…I really have to go, Zelda. I do love you."

Quickly, I made my leave, heading for the door. Zelda didn't say anything.

Hopefully I could get hold of the master sword quickly and then I could just finish this from there. I wasn't going to stall any longer. On the way out, I grabbed a plain black sweater, pulling it on and zipping it up since the air had become chilly with the passing time, but also because any bodily protection would be needed.

I quickly swung the front door open and slipped outside. I was just about to close it when I heard a small voice. I froze in my tracks, not looking behind me.

"It's him, isn't it?"

My heart felt like it literally stopped for a moment. I swallowed thickly, feeling my mouth get dry. "Who?" I played dumb.

"Link…you know who I mean. But why didn't you tell me?"

My eyes started to sting and just as the first tear fell, I hastily closed the door behind me, unable to face Zelda anymore. She knew, alright.

Another silent tear trickled down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly.

They were tears of shame. Guilt. Fear. And most of all, disappointment.

Hating the traitorous tears that fell from my eyes, I forced myself to stop crying and to focus on my task. I rounded the house and went into the back yard easily, making sure that I wasn't thinking about anything that would waver my attention. From there, I headed to the now familiar woods, wanting to get to Fi's resting place as soon as possible. Just as I was nearing the woods, I heard a faint call from the house. I half turned, stopping my brisk pace. I glanced at the house dully.

In the window of my room, I could see the blurry silhouette of Zelda. The screen on the window prevented me from seeing her facial expression.

"Be safe…" I heard her call. It almost made me cry all over again just knowing that she wasn't upset at me and that she didn't hate me for how I felt. She probably was disappointed in me, though. That, I couldn't prevent. However, after all this, she still cared for me. Refusing to let my emotions overwhelm me, I just blinked and then turned away, not wanting to think about how I could be potentially heading into a trap, maybe even walking to death itself. I started to walk into the darkness of the forest. It was suffocating. But my mind was the main cause of my claustrophobia.

Because I knew that Ghirahim may have had some sort of infatuation for me, maybe even similar to what I felt to him, but if I got in the way of his plans…then, I knew that he wouldn't hesitate to kill me.

His loyalty lay in his master and he would risk everything for the chance to serve the demon king once more…

I was doing this all for Zelda, Fi, my friends…for everyone whose lives would be endangered with the rise of Ghirahim's master. Yes, that was why I was putting my life at risk. It wasn't really for me.

And yet at the same time, I had this weird thought running through my mind. I had said that anything that I felt for Ghirahim, any relationship we may have had wouldn't end well, right? So then why couldn't I get this twisted notion out of my head that perhaps I could _make_ _it_ _work_?

It was so messed up, so irrational and unreasonable. There was no way that my stupid feelings would be satisfied and that Ghirahim would return any oddly misguided affections I had for him. I wished desperately that I could just stop feeling the way I did-but love didn't work that way. What scared me was that I didn't know if I'd ever be able to kill Ghirahim at this point. Fi didn't know that when she helped me come up with this plan. Yes, that was the number one flaw in it. Could I kill him, or even hurt him badly enough to claim victory and force him to stop with his horrible plans?

And of course, that brought me back to my loyalties.

They were in Zelda, Fi, my friends, all those people counting on me to save them, whether they were even aware of the situation or not. However there was someone else that should have been included in that list; Ghirahim.

I was partly loyal to the demon in a weird, and strange way. Almost like a dog that keeps coming back to its owner even if it'll be punished. It made it worse that I clearly wasn't a dog, and that my 'punishments' would be way worse than just getting put in the doghouse (literally, and metaphorically) and would, most likely be brutal, and painful to the power of ten. Which made me worry further. If I was loyal to both a friend and an enemy, then in the end, wouldn't I betraying one of them either way?

My heart clenched painfully at the new realization that I had come to. No matter what happened, I would be hurting someone. Well, that was unless I could figure out a way to save us all. Then maybe I would be forgiven for everything I've messed up in.

I laughed bitterly to myself. Like that would ever happen. Like Zelda could ever genuinely forgive me for falling in love with a demon.

What's worse was that I couldn't backtrack either, because my true feelings had been revealed to her, and at this point, I couldn't pretend they didn't exist. They'd been kept hidden for too long now, buried deep inside me.

...But soon enough, Ghirahim would be let in on the secret. On how I really felt.

**/**

**A/N: Uhmmmm...sorta crappy ending, just don't remind me lol xD**

**:'( But I mean, poor Zel and Link! Nyaaggghh! So much emotional conflict!**

**Anywayssss, I'd love it if you reviewed! :D I'm kind of stuck on the next chapter right now, so it might take a little while to post. Hopefully, I can get in some good writing this weekend! ^.^**


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